<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Prince of thieves by Billytheclonesaur</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28618005">Prince of thieves</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Billytheclonesaur/pseuds/Billytheclonesaur'>Billytheclonesaur</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>South Park</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Mob, Alternate Universe - Police, Angst and Drama, Blood and Violence, Drugs, Eventual Smut, Guns, Multi, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Tragic Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 09:49:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>34,985</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28618005</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Billytheclonesaur/pseuds/Billytheclonesaur</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Almost twenty years have passed since those school days in South Park. New groups and friendships have been formed and old ones have been broken. While Kyle and Stan have joined the forces of order, Eric Cartman had become the king of the underworld with his group of "friends." Their paths are not totally separated but they will be about to collide, in a game from which nobody wins. Betrayal, broken dreams, and broken hearts will be in the middle of the battlefield.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Clyde Donovan/Bebe Stevens, Craig Tucker/Tweek Tweak, Eric Cartman/Wendy Testaburger, Ike Broflovski/Karen McCormick, Kenny McCormick &amp; Craig Tucker, Kenny McCormick/Craig Tucker, Kenny McCormick/Leopold "Butters" Stotch, Kyle Broflovski &amp; Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski/Heidi Turner, Stan Marsh/Wendy Testaburger, Token Black/Nichole Daniels</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Work</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my very first fanfic so, thanks for giving it a chance. The story is based on books by Mario Puzo, some fan art, and a lot of things, actually. Let me know your opinion in the comments. Apologies for the lousy writing. I hope I'll improve.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was about eight o'clock in the morning. The small restaurant was half empty, there were two tables which had been joined to keep the group together. There were six young men at the table. The fat one who seemed to be the leader had black hair, probably dyed; beside him, there was a brunette boy who was thinner than the first one but still thicker than the rest. On the left side, there was a blonde boy who seems to be a bit younger, maybe due to his thin body. In front of them, there was an Afro-American boy, perhaps 28 years old and taller than the rest of them. He was the only one without work clothes; he was wearing a black suit with a white shirt and a red tie. On his left was the other taller boy in the group, with natural black hair, he looked quite different from the rest. He was probably the most masculine person in the group. On the right was a medium-size boy with a hood, there wasn’t too much to talk about him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So I was in the car and the cop was asking to get my ass off.” the fat boy was saying. “And it just so happened that I wasn’t wearing pants, besides, I didn’t have a license or mi ID.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The hell you were doing without pants?”Asked the brunette. “And without your wallet?” While he was talking, he drank his coffee.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The day before I went to a party outside the city” He looked outside while he was talking. “There were a bunch of hookers, alcohol, and drugs.” Some people were passing by the window, one of them gave a glance into the restaurant. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, but what happened then Cartman?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you think Clyde?” he gave him a wicked glance. “I got fuckin arrest ‘cuz I was drunk!”He looked outside again, feeling anxious. “So, he took my car and got my ass into the patrol.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What did you di then? You gave him a blowjob?” Asked the blonde boy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the fuck Kenny? I didn’t give him a damn.” he looked at the rest of the group while they were laughing at Kenny’s comment. “I politely asked him to stop in a store and buy some aspirin.” He put his fingertips on his chest, trying to look like a gentleman. “ When we stopped, I managed to get out of the car and run.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s kinda dumb, Cartman.” Said Kenny. “I’d rather believe that you give him a bj.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck you.”</span>
</p>
<p>" Look at the clock fatass." The black-haired boy said with a plain voice. "It's almost the hour."</p>
<p>"Shit. Kenny and Sam must go now, right?"</p>
<p>Both of them went out of the building and enter a van from the cable company. Sam was the driver, and Kenny was in the back with some computers and the sedated bodies of two workers.<br/>“Aight Sam. We’re just in time, the truck should be in position at any time” He checked the computer and then made a call.</p>
<p>The phone of Cartman started to ringing, it was the signal for the boys to get ready.</p>
<p>
  <span>“Token pay attention to Kenny’s uploads and get the shit ready for our arrival.” he patted Token in the back. “Craig, go outside and check around. Don’t forget to bring the tools.” He winked at Craig. He finally looked at Clyde. “ We will go together.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig walked outside the building and headed towards a car in the loot. The trunk had been filled with guns and ammo. After he closed the trunk, a tow car approached to take the car away and delete any evidence with him.  He returned to the building with two bags with masks, weapons, and communication equipment. they were disguised as a bunch of construction workers, all of them with guns and earphones. They walked away and wait inside another van for the signal.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright everyone must activate his line to be in communication with K”. Barked Catman while he was turning his device on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hope all of are listening to me now so let’s start in 30 sec, this is a closed and safe line but obvious reasons do not say anyone’s name … And now the truck is in position.” Kenny was on the other side of the line giving them instructions.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The boys got out of the van and walked to get closer to the Brinks truck, at that time in the morning they could easily make between 2 and 4 million dollars. They approached enough to be in shot sight, the guards should have been easily taken down after some shots.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright everyone remember, no witnesses”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The street was relatively empty due to the hour, the few passers-by straying away from the truck that was in their sights. the group that advanced towards him dressed in a movie-like way for the area. The nearest construction site was a twenty-minute walk away and the largest of its workers were walking away on the north side, which is almost in the opposite direction.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The group put on the headphones as they approached the truck that was to provide the daily fee to the ATM. The group of three got close enough without raising suspicion of their intentions. Suddenly Cartman </span>
  <span>yells across the circuit: </span>
  <span>“Now!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They all drew semiautomatic weapons, Clyde knowing the role of him pointed out by the guard who had such a weapon. The moment was fast and almost immediately you began to hear isolated screams from people close to the place.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay from now on you have two and a half minutes to collect the pasta, half to retreat and another minute to escape.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was only grudging who let Kenny understand that his notice was received.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The notice prompted Sam to get out of the TV cable van, which Kenny was in, to ensure the attention of witnesses and the police in the wrong car. This however was done violently, many shots, first from the truck to some early businesses, then near it to those who had dared to try to take photographs; he finally turned his attention to the evidence left by the team in charge of the assault. Nothing purifies better than fire, he thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Get your asses out of there” Kenny shouted through the microphone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The three boys who assaulted the truck went back to their van. The new objective was run the hell outta there. The adrenaline was at his limit for all of them. “What a day boys!” Catman yelled through the microphone with excitement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright Sam, we waited for the police to be in a decent distance and we run the hell outta here with enough time for the boy to be out of range.” Said Kenny. His voice was low. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right K”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The police cops were at 30 sec from the place, the boys were already far enough just like Kenny wanted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“OK, close enough start the fucking car, I’ll try to hack the police frequency”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Some seconds later the radio was transmitting the police line: “All the units to the downtown, robbery in progress at Colorado Blvd. The suspects are in a cable company car.” Kenny was smiling and said, “fuck yeah, it works. Now, let’s get us to a safe place.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite the efforts of the police, they had a good advantage over them so it was pretty easy to get rid of them. They drive for almost fifteen minutes before they reach the ideal place.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright Sam, I don’t know what Cartman told you to do but I don’t want the blood of these two” he pointed to the sedated workers. “Do what you must, but I’m out of here” He destroys the equipment in the car and set it on fire before the walk back to the city.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Two shots in the distance were hearing astonishing the birds…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny stopped a taxi</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“to the terminal please”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The long travel back to South Park was a little annoying this time, sure he was being a criminal for a couple of years but he never got used to the excessive violence of Eric Cartman. Sure he was working for the so-called Prince of Crime, but he was annoyed by the same fact.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Back in his town pick the phone</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Leo, are you free?”</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>The van with the gang headed straight to a parking building; one of the many businesses of the Black family, they got to the fifth floor. Despite the good plan to get rid of the police, Cartman was always suspicious of everyone, he never got back to his “office” in the same car, he never got back the same day indeed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On the fifth floor, three cars were waiting for his drivers. The first one was a black limo, the second was an ordinary car in the city, the last one, on the other hand, was a black sedan with a 15 cm antenna and police lights in the front, it was an FBI car.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Every single parking in the city that belonged to the Black family had a singularity in the basement or on the top floor, none of them has cameras and in the case of a basement, the entry was hidden and not even the city government knew about it. All of them were built with the only purpose to commit crimes and most of them were built as a way to laundry the money.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, faggots it’s time to take our ways. Token will take the money with him as we figured out how to introduce it.” Cartman talked to the group as he headed to his car.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah... Well, we need to find a way. the IRS and the FBI are behind my company, my accounts, and even my wife. You need to find a way fatso.” Token seemed to be pissed off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck you, I’ll chat with Kenny about it. He has a new plan and I need to know how it’s going.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig got out of the car and head straight to his car, his keys were already in the engine start so, he just turned the engine on. Despite he was late for work he took his time to got out of the building.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The ride to hid office was very calmly, the radio was playing some new songs which Craig didn’t like that much but he didn’t bother to change the station. His car was the first thing he bought after he started work with Eric Cartman. There had been almost three years since then, and it couldn’t be less irrelevant for Craig. In the beginning, he was a nervous mess, anyone who had seen him could have sworn he was even more nervous than Tweek. Start a new thing it’s never easy, start a new job with one of the most infamous criminals could be a little more stressful than anyone could imagine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig was 28 years old and he was living in the city, becoming an FBI agent wasn’t a dream come true but he was happy to work in something he liked to do, spying on people and learning everything about them. At the end of high school, he decided to learn as many foreign languages as he could, in only two years he could speak Spanish, Italian, Russian, and a bit of German. He’d worked till he was 21 years old when he finally decided to join the FBI.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After almost two years of training, he joined the division against organized crime, he was looking for a way to improve his life at any cost, that’s how he ended selling information about the mob in Colorado to an unknown Eric Cartman, an old classmate, then he started to give detailed information about the security of some places.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It has passed only a year and a half since Craig was working with Cartman as an active member of the gang, helping with money laundering and keeping the IRS and FBI as far as he could from his new criminal organization.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Craig finally arrived at his office he noticed the chaos after the assault on the Brinks truck. He worked on the third floor in the organized crime division, a big room with a bunch of desks and a lot of bookcases with even more files. Since Craig found a way to work for the FBI and Cartman he quickly became a very good agent, he knew every single movement made by the mob.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His office was a small room with a pc, a desk, a chair and a lot of boxes with files. His mind was in blank but he suddenly came back to earth when Amy, a secretary of the floor, entered looking for him:</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>- Craig, the boss wanna talk with you, he says it’s urgent.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>- Fine, I’ll be there in a sec.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His boss, an old man who was at least 57, had a soft spot for Craig; the old man saw in Craig his worthy successor. He was a man who dedicated his 30 last years of life to the force. Not even his family stop him to accomplish his duty to his country. Rudy Carlson was a true patriot who only lived for his country.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His office was connected with a meeting room and a private bathroom, it was one of the biggest offices in the building. Craig noticed his boss was with some other senior agents and deputies; Carlson gave him a gesture indicating his office, all of them were in the meeting room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You wanted to see me, sir?” Asked Craig with a dull voice. He wasn’t in the mood for a talk with the patriotic Carlson,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, please take a seat.” He pointed to the seat with a fancy gesture while he took a seat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig was expecting to receive a warning call since he was the one in charge of looking for the so-called Prince of thieves.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Craig, I know I have put you under a lot of pressure lately, but as you can see, the situation is getting out of hand real quick.” Despite his evident years of work, he seemed worried.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sir as I told you in the last report, there may be a link between our man and the Chinese mob in Denver since they had moved most of his operations from NY.” Craig always used the information to get rid of competence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“don’t worry son, I’m not here to blame you for anything; I was about to tell you you’re doing such a great job. Besides, that’s not the main topic right now.” He gave Craig a paternal look.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, as you may have listened there has been another assault and the local government is concerned about the violence in Colorado. As one of the best agents in the entire division, I suggested your name to be incorporated into a new team with the local police to catch this son of a bitch.” His hands were shaking, Craig couldn’t tell the reason. Maybe he wanted to catch Cartman. Maybe he wanted to win to the police.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“you’re flattering me sir, but I’m not sure if I’m the right person to do it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bullshit, you’re the best for the job.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was an awkward silence between them till Amy interrupted again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sir, the board is waiting.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks, Amy. Age</span>
  <span>nt Tucker, come with me.” The quasi-paternal relationships his boss had with Craig was indoors. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both entered the meeting room, there were at least ten persons over there, most of them were from the bureau, three of them were new faces for Craig but suspect they were from the local police.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright gentlemen, as I told you before the new task force will have agent Tucker as an organized crime specialist. Behold the agent Tucker himself.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone gave a suspicious look and then they saluted him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“As you know, there has been another robbery in the town and, thanks to agent Tucker; we’re pretty sure about the author of the crime.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah. We need to set the task force as soon as we can. So…” he gave an inquiring look to Craig. “how come you’re the man for the job?” His sarcastic tone could have been detected a mile away. He didn’t trust Craig.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It just so happened I was the one who captured one of the heads of the Russian mob in this town. Sir.” Craig was very disrespectful with anyone who attempted to criticize him, for his boss this was more quality and skill rather than a weakness or a bad habit, he thought the FBI and his agents shouldn’t have to pay respect outside the Bureau and the US government.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Be careful young man, you may have torn down whatever you want but that doesn’t give you the right to disrespect the highest authority of this city.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anyways, I’m sure you have a police team ready to join this new task force…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The conversation extended for almost an hour, after Craig gathered the most relevant information he left his mind flow for the rest of the meeting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Despite the urgency, I’m afraid this project can’t formally begin for almost 6 weeks, but that doesn’t mean we’re not gonna work. Both agencies will work through the selected agents and offices.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The meeting finally ended and Craig was free for the rest of the day due to the lack of coordination between the police and the FBI, thus he takes a ride to his home town to see his sister and some old friends.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was boarding his car when his phone rang a couple of times:</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Though we’ve agreed not to call after a job McCormick.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is important.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m listening.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Meet me at the building at 6 pm.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aight."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He hung up the phone. He decided to drive to his home town as fast as he can to visit his sister and some old friends. Perhaps it was only an excuse for going out of the city, trying to escape from his hell.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Living a double life it’s never easy, but it was Craig’s decision so he couldn’t even complain. Having to work for the FBI, being stuck with one of the most criminal organizations he could imagine. It was too much, some people would have been overwhelmed by this reality. Craig was overwhelmed by HIS reality.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The trip was boring for saying less, sometimes he was afraid to fall asleep while driving, the mere idea of dying in such an absurd way sometimes entertained him, and sometimes, it scared him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he finally arrived, he headed straight to his sister’s house. He watched at his phone and saw the time: 1 pm. He was supposed to be at midday to lunch with his sister and meet his boyfriend.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The visit was very quick, he wasn’t excited by the meeting anyways. After the meeting, he ran to the coffee shop to see an old friend.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Memories and clues.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This and the next chapter will be about the same day from different perspectives of course. Hope you enjoy it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was 6:30 am, the sunlight was barely visible and most of the neighborhood was still sleeping but Stan couldn’t sleep. It was indeed the third day in a row without getting complete sleep. To be honest; he hadn’t had a “good night” for almost two weeks. He looked at the other side of his bed. There she was, the reason why he started a better life; Wendy was peacefully asleep. She was on vacation for the last two months she couldn’t even breathe due to her job. Being an attorney in the city was awful. He couldn’t remember the last time he woke up with his wife by his side. Either she or he went to work before dawn. Sometimes they worked all night long.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stan looked at the door; it’d be better for him to get ready for the job, it would probably be another boring day; he would regret his thoughts later that day. After taking a shower he headed back to his room to the closet. He tried to do it as quietly as possible. After some years together; he knew that Wendy hated the noise while she was sleeping.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stan? Is that you?” Shit, he thought. Perhaps he wasn’t quiet enough.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure I am hon. How was your sleep?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Better than yours, I’d say… Why are you getting ready? Isn’t this your free day? Besides, I do believe it’s too early. ”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No hon, that’s tomorrow. I just woke up early that’s all.” Just like the other days.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“OK, wanna get some breakfast?” She was getting out the bed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, I’m sorry for not be here today, I promise I’ll take some nice place tomorrow…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s alright don’t worry about me, I know you’re busy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sometimes he couldn’t understand why she was still stuck with him. Sure, they’d been together for a few years when they were young, but currently, he wasn’t anything but a total mess. Stan hasn’t been sleeping due is problems and all his back story trying to find him. A man can’t escape from his past. He knew that. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a quick breakfast, a cup of coffee and a slice of bread. Stan took his keys and his coat. Another day in the city. The decision of living in the city was a tough one for him despite it was clear to Stan to show his commitment towards her. The idea of marriage was a total shock for him; having a wife and children. Damn, it was too much to think about. “Babysteps.” It was the only thing in Stan’s mind; every time he thought about his future, “baby steps.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He headed straight to his car, a black Nissan Altima. He was proud of his brand new car since the budget of a police detective wasn’t that high, but it was something he paid and owned without a debt in the bank. He was binged in his thoughts when he heard his phone tone: </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Kyle.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey dude, can you pick me up? I’m without a car.” Kyle’s car was in maintenance. It wasn’t his car; it belonged to the police department. Since he had that car, buying one wasn’t one of his priorities.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure, I’m on the way.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“On the way? Man, it’s like 7:30, I’m barely ready.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know right? Just couldn’t sleep again.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You should talk with a professional about it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll keep that in mind.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He hung up and got into his car. The feeling of being inside his car overwhelming for him; he felt like it was in the only place no one would ever be able to find him. Stan was trying to run away from his past. After six tortuous years, he had not been able to overcome those traumatic moments in his life. He wasn't a depressed guy, at least that's what he wanted to believe. He just found it hard to forget everything he had been through. It was a spiral that always led him to the beginning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The trip was shorter than he’d expected. He hadn’t been driving for three minutes when he finally arrived at Kyle’s. It could have been attributed to divine providence, according to Kyle, the fact that they lived very close to each other. Stan honked the klaxon three times and a red-haired boy came out the door. He was wearing jeans and a police jacket with the initials in the back DPD.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kyle approached the door of the car with his phone in one hand and the keys of his house in the other. He wore his insignia on his belt. Kyle was almost the opposite of Stan; he had a good and easy life. Sure, he had no girlfriend or wife, neither he looked for one. Years of hard-working awarded him with a premature ascent in the police. His work was always clear and well done. His back story wasn’t dark like Stan’s, he moved to the city to accomplish his dream of being a detective in the great city even though his first goal was being in the FBI or some other federal department. Kyle had a good life, he had never had a turbulent year because of his reluctance to be near to a problem. One of the reasons why he walked away from his old friends and Cartman. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The trip to the station was boring so Kyle decided to start a conversation:</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you hear about the kidnap of those cable workers last night?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, if I’m not wrong, the captain will give the chase to McKenzie, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I heard it too, but am reluctant to believe he will do a good job. He’s still stuck with the robbery of the last month.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We can't blame him for that; whoever did it was a skilled criminal.” Stan gave a glance to his friend. Kyle wasn't overly patient with people. Especially in the police.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe…” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stan hated awkward silences, especially if they were in conversation with Kyle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So… Someone told me you’re hanging out with Heidi? What’s up with that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dude, we just met by accident a couple of times, that’s all.” It was not true. Kyle had already dated her but he wanted to keep it private.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon, you need someone in your life. You don’t even have a pet.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I just wanna take it slowly, OK? Geez, you sound like my mother telling me I need someone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure… You need someone Bublah” Stan liked to joke with Kyle about his mother.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anyways… How is Wendy? Is she alright?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Stan's slight smile faded. “But I’m afraid I’m doing wrong right now, I don’t wanna end like my parents. She looks happy but I’m not sure how real that feeling is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe you need some time alone, trying to spend a weekend together, these last months we all have been so busy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The conversation was suddenly cut when the radio announced another crime, robber and murder in the interception of a security truck transporting nearly 4.5 m dollars; a good hit for any criminal. “All the units in the perimeter must approach the crime scene, the suspects were driving a cable car van, probably was the same van stolen the last week.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After that call from reality, Stan accelerated to reach the station as soon as possible and so he did. The rest of the trip was quiet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>---</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>---</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The office was in chaos. People were running in any direction. The special unit in which Stan worked was especially busy. The phones were ringing here and there, the annoying noise of tens of phones filled the overloaded atmosphere. Both Stan and Kyle were busy with their work until his boss called them. “Marsh and Broflovski! Come here!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Captain Jones was a middle-aged man, probably in his mid-forties. His face was haggard from years of work. Her face had a weary expression. The stubble on his chin was a funny contrast to his hard expression; those whiskers tended to look like those of a high schoolboy.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>They both looked at each other. It was quite strange that the captain called them. Despite the latest events in the city. they had been working on a murder case that had been going on for a couple of weeks now. Generally, no case was transferred from one detective to another. They headed to the captain’s office, a small room filled with papers and an old desk.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Agent Marsh and Broflovski reporting for duty.” Despite the range of sergeant of Kyle, he was still working as a detective. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span> “Yeah yeah yeah. Take a seat.” In front of his desk, there were two chairs.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>The captain avoided making eye contact with both of them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You may be wondering what are you doing here. Both of you will be part of a new task force between the police department of Denver and the FBI. All your current work will be given to another agent, you will take care of the security truck robbery.” He said calmly as he looked into his pocket for the third cigarette of the day. Even for him, it was too early for smoking but the tension won the battle for the cigarettes.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Sir, what does it mean? Who we’re going to work with? Kyle took the conversation while Stan seemed emotionless.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“The FBI has a current task force led by some Tucker agent, he will be holding regular meetings with you. Despite the fact, it is not official yet.” He exhaled obnoxiously smoke on kyle's face.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“What you mean by not official yet?” Stan asked, slightly amused by the scene.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“The regular bureaucracy.” He took another blow of his cigarette.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a moment of silence in the room, Kyle was the only one who was talking. Stan, on the other hand, was mesmerized by the fact of Craig working in the FBI. He didn’t see him as a man of law. He always thought Craig would end up as a criminal or something. He and Craig never got along.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Anyway, the chief is handling this whole situation so be careful with it. And Marsh, be careful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The expedient of Stan was not a secret for anyone. He needed a miracle to keep his job as an officer a few years before. Stan was a good boy and an excellent cop but he leaked of discipline.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now both of you end your current work and start with the new chase.” He put out his cigarette.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Yes sir.” Both answer in unison.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stan seemed to be affected by the whole situation. The sudden reminder of the captain made him feel sick; his guts were turning around. The memories of him in rehab were everything but pleasant.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just one thing else before you go,” he finally looked at the boys. “There might be a huge possibility to promote both of you.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Sir?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span> “You see, we need people like you leading a specialized office.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Again an unpleasant silence filled the room, kyle was delighted with the news. The idea of having new responsibilities and the opportunity to show his potential was something he was looking for. Stan on the other hand could feel the edge of the knife in his neck. Probably he’d loved to have a promotion but the whole situation was driving him crazy. He had a bad feeling about it.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Once the task force is set, it’ll be a matter of days to start making real progress,  both of you will start to make contact with a special agent from the FBI and his colleagues.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span> “Who is this person?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span> “He’s supposed to be the next James Bond or something. Quite famous for his job in the mob. If I were you, I’d not trust him; those kinds of boys usually ended working with the mob. Anyways, make sure you’re ready, you will receive all the information within the week.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Alright, sir.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stan thought that the good agent his captain was referring to couldn’t be Craig. There must be some other Tucker, after all,  they were in a big city. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two friends went out of the office, Kyle saw himself as the salvation of the city; the man who was ready to get into the motherfucker and cleaned it all. Stan was frightened by the mere idea of going back to his past. How the shit could get any worse? He thought. After high school and failing to stay alongside his friend, Stan started a life of shame. He became an alcoholic and ended up a couple of times in the county jail.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dude, can you believe it? It’s like a goddamn dream come true.” The voice of Kyle had an excessive amount of excitement. It was clear he was waiting to talk about it.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Sure thing, pal.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span> “What’s the matter? Not fair enough for you?” Kyle made a failed attempt to tease his friend.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span> “Kyle, you know my life. I’m not excited to get into the motherfucker. I’m afraid.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span> “Chill dude; it’s not like you’re gonna get into the clan as an infiltrate or something.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span> “I’m gonna take the day.” He sighed. “Give me a moment for getting my shit together. Guess we need to go to the crime scene.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without even saying goodbye to his friend, Stan walked towards the door and got out of the building.</span>
</p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Clyde drove Token’s limo, after all; that was one of the many jobs he held to keep a low profile. Life wasn’t easy. Clyde knew it. Since the tragic death of his mother, he was in a deep hole. Despite all, he used to think he could go ahead and overtake his fails. At high school, all his hopes and dreams were shattered. He lost his father’s financial support besides his emotional support. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everything seemed to fell around him, his closest friends began to leave their town, even those who seemed to be stuck in a crappy life. Life hadn’t been easy and as a matter of fact, it started to get tougher.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You seem to be lost in your thoughts Clyde, should I drive this time?” Token was teasing him. After all those years, his friendship remained strong enough.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry Token, I was thinking, that’s all.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s in your mind?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“How did we get here? I mean, what happened with our dreams?” A few years ago, Clyde would have cried while he was speaking. “All of this seems so unreal.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Are you disappointed? Did you expect something different?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I’m just melancholic.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He kept driving to Token’s office. The building was downtown so, it was almost inevitable to face traffic. It was a little funny for Clyde thinking about his past, all the decisions that took him to that moment. He still could remember the first time he worked with Eric Cartman, eight years ago.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It was another summer in the town. Clyde had hit rock bottom. Broke as fuck, sharing a room with anyone who could afford the rent. His life was miserable; he hated it. During the last year in high school, Clyde realizes he couldn’t stay in his house for a long time. The relation between his parent had been broken.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Walking through the main street, which has become the core of the growing city, he saw a quite familiar face: Eric Cartman.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <em>“Cartman? What’s up, dude!” He wasn’t too close to Cartman, but a familiar face always raised the mood.</em>
    <em><br/>
</em>
    <em>“Hey Clyde, how are ya doing?” Cartman approached him and patted him on the shoulder.</em>
    <em><br/>
</em>
    <em>“Fine, I guess... What’ve you been doing?” Clyde noted that Cartman was skinny.</em>
    <em><br/>
</em>
    <em> “Oh, nothing, trying to survive that’s all since my mom decided to leave the town and so, leave me too.” </em>
    <em><br/>
</em>
    <em>“Damn! Guess we’re on the same boat.” Being dumped from your house was something that Clyde could relate to. </em>
    <em><br/>
</em>
    <em>“I have a plan tho.”</em>
    <em><br/>
</em>
    <em>“Really?”</em>
    <em><br/>
</em>
    <em>“Yeah, do you know that creepy guy from Ferris square?”</em>
    <em><br/>
</em>
    <em>“Yeah sure.”</em>
    <em><br/>
</em>
    <em>“Well, it just so happens the dude has some shit into drugs. He’s a dealer so he manages some money.”</em>
    <em><br/>
</em>
    <em>“So what? I’m pretty sure I don’t wanna be on drugs.” Clyde was far from that level of desperation. His girlfriend was the last glimpse of will and light in his life.</em>
    <em><br/>
</em>
    <em>“You’re not catching it; the bastard had real money, and the best part is that I know how to fucking steal him.”</em>
    <em><br/>
</em>
    <em>“You can’t be serious.”</em>
    <em><br/>
</em>
    <em>“I’m deadly serious.”</em>
    <em><br/>
</em>
    <em>“So, let’s suppose I’d join you, then what?”</em>
    <em><br/>
</em>
    <em>“Easy, rent a car, get some mask to assault him, take the money, and get the hell outta there.”</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <em>Clyde was totally shocked; the fat ass was deadly serious, and he had a plan.<br/>
“When?”<br/>
“You’re in?”<br/>
“Fuck yeah.”<br/>
“How much money do you have?”<br/>
“Like a hundred bucks or so.” It was Bebe’s money, but she wouldn’t mind it. At least that’s what Clyde thought. After all, he would replace it.<br/>
“Will be enough. Let’s go to rent a car, I had some masks so, I guess we could do it now.”</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Again Clyde was shocked; he knew his life was almost ruined but, was he ready to became a criminal? That wasn’t even a choice. He was dazed and confused by this sudden opportunity to cheat, and even take advantage of fate.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“You’ll rent the car and we’ll meet at Tweek’s coffee shop.” Cartman glanced at him, he was worry for Clyde. Could Clyde be able to turn back and getting him arrested?</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>“Fine,” Clyde muttered. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The money was enough to rent a decent car, it was far from just decent and was more likely to be a luxury car. Clyde couldn’t believe what he was about to do; was he ready to become a criminal? The world appeared to froze around him, nothing seemed to be part of reality.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The front of the coffee shop was empty as usual which was one of the main reasons to meet Cartman there. A fat boy got close to the car, he was with a bag.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Clyde, I’ve got the shit, take us to the place.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>He didn’t answer; he was too nervous to even talk.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Clyde! Damnit, you better wake up!” </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The poor boy jumped up in his seat as if he had suddenly received an electric shock. He looked at Cartman for a few seconds before nodding slightly. His face looked like that of a dead or dying man, he was pale and his eyes were starting to water.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Take us there and I’ll tell you where you’ll wait.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Again, only a slight movement of his head was the only response. Eric couldn’t tell if Clyde nodded or not.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>They got close enough to see the dealer, a mid-aged man who seemed to be selling his product. Clyde’s heart was pumping harder and harder every single second they spent looking at their victim.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Cartman took two masks and a gun from his backpack, he was ready for something like that for a long time ago.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“You didn’t say anything about guns.”</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> “Chill dude, it’s just in case, nobody’s gonna die.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Cartman jumped out of the car and immediately hit the drug dealer. The guy fell to the ground, hitting his face. Eric turned him to take the money and the drugs which, of course, Clyde would’ve not known. He got in the car as fast as he jumped outta it.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“What’re you doing Clyde?? Get us the hell outta here!”</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Clyde seemed to wake up from a numbness, thankfully his muscles reacted before his brain so they ran as far as they could from the place.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Shit dude, this is way more than I’ve planed.”</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>“What do you mean?”</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>“I was expecting around two or three thousand. I easily have around ten thousand.”</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Clyde halted the car.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Ten?”</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s right there might be twelve. So here is your hundred bucks.”</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>“Hey fat ass, a deserve a part too.”</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>“Fine! Sixty forty works for you?”</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>“Fair enough.”</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>“There you go forty-eight hundred.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>For a minute or so, Clyde looked at the money. He couldn’t believe what he just did. Suddenly he felt a shock of adrenaline on his body. He looked at the bag that Cartman stole from the dealer.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“What’s on the bag”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Don’t mind that.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>They kept traveling for ten minutes ‘till they reach Cartman’s place. A very old building with yellowish grass and a sloppy driveway. Clyde looked at the house, he couldn’t decide whether Cartman’s or Clyde’s was the worst place to live. At least Cartman had a house, he thought.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Here we are, thanks for the ride.” Cartman was getting out of the car.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“So… There will be a next time?” </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m not sure. You’re still a crying baby, you’re not a bad driver tho.” There was a moment of silence. “I’ll be round Tweek’s coffee if you need some money.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Cool.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>One word sealed his destiny. One word.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Life sucks” thought Clyde; after all these years he never accomplished his dreams. He was alone. His ‘ex-girlfriend’, Bebe Stevens, was all he used to wish for himself. She became a nurse and began to work almost immediately.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re very distracted today Clyde.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I just need some time alone, that’s all.”</span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they arrived at Token’s office, Clyde took his car from the garage. It was not new for Clyde having to leave his car in some garage. His house was in the residential part of Denver. He was rich but he never found a way to laundry his money. Some cars and some houses here and there were the best he could do to introduce the money.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cartman had promised him a long time ago to laundry everyone in a very sophisticated way, it didn’t happen. For some odd reason, Clyde still believed his friend would help him just like the first time.</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>The trip to the crime scene was very short, but at the same time, it was uncomfortable. Despite Kyle's good spirits, Stan wanted to avoid at all costs a conversation that he knew would be uncomfortable. Most of the conversations the duo had after Stan's relapse into the smoke always had the aspect of a group intervention. The images of Randy in the living room talking with his friends about his addiction were disgusting. He had never considered Randy an alcoholic. He always believed that one day he would resume his life, but it never happened.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They arrived at the crime scene accompanied by deathly silence. Kyle was the first to get out of the car to approach the policeman who had already cordoned off the area.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Morning sergeant.” One of the cops saluted him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kyle just gave him a slight smile as he started walking down the street looking at the mess. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No evidence, no witnesses,” Stan said as he approached his friend. “This will be a fucking nightmare.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We don’t have anything.” He looked at the corpses of the guards. Shit, he thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Any ideas?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What was the initial report on the radio?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A bunch of assholes in a… TV truck?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There you go, a clue.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kyle was freaked out by the situation. He knew that the case was already complicated with ties to the mafia and other organizations. Besides, seeing the crime scene understood how "professional" the subjects behind the crime were. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sun was at its peak when they decided to pause. Despite the painstaking work they did, they couldn't find much to start an in-depth investigation. The thought of failure and disappointment filled Kyle’s mind. He controlled his emotions at work.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“ You seem to be worry,” said Stan while they were walking to a close restaurant. “No ideas yet?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s perfect, don’t you think? I mean, look at the place.” He looked back at the empty street. “No business near, the first stop of the truck and, no security.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have to admit it. It is a good job. But not good enough.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Our boys just found the truck.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“In an abandoned custom house outside the city.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Finally some good fucking news.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They entered the small restaurant that was near the place. It was the only place that was open because it was closed - at least that was what was testified - during the robbery. Some tables were occupied by officers cordoning off the area. The restaurant menu did not offer much variety. Stan didn't consider himself vegan, but he usually tried to avoid meat when he could.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kyle, about the thing in the morning…” Stan was fighting to find the right words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry dude. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” Kyle glanced at the menu. “But we have to talk about the job.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who do you think will be part of that task force?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not sure, probably one of those gorillas from the field. I bet he’s a violent asshole.” Stan said with a doubtful voice, he was trying not to think of Craig as an agent.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, the captain said something about James Bond; I bet he works in intelligence. He must be one of the skinny losers.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both laughed at the comment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He mentioned a Tucker dude,” Stan looked at his friend. “Do you think he could be that Tucker dude from South Park?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Craig? The blue hat jerk? Impossible, he didn’t know what to do with his life by the moment I left the town.” he took a sip of his glass of water. “He must be living and working there for the minimum wage.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Another laugh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Yeah… That can’t be the Tucker from FBI.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Tweek's coffee</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Anyone could say that having a life where you work with one of your closest friends, living alone and carefree, was the American dream of living in paradise. Butters could tell that he was actually in heaven enjoying the moment, but he wasn't. His dreams of working in the big city in his own company or business were suddenly shattered and he found himself trapped in a small town like South Park. Much was said about how one of the great exponents of the small South Park high school became a great businessman rescuing a practically dead business. Many local business owners often sought Butters' help; if he saved a business why wouldn't he save them too?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The clear sky of a summer morning was not enough to enliven him that particular day, the sound of many birds singing was then unpleasant for the blonde. He checked his phone only to find that he was late for work. Having an apartment in the center of the city was the only thing that saved him from being inordinately late.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite being in charge of expanding the brand, he was completely frustrated by his constant failures when trying to move to the city. The taste and quality of the coffee were not enough to compete with Starbucks or smaller brands. In addition to all his disappointment, he kept working with a smile, usually the first to arrive and the last to leave. After all, he kept believing in the business, and the brand that one day would take him to the big smoke.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly a call made him jump out of his bed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Butters!! g-ahh…" The scream made Butters hold his phone at far as possible from his ear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hey, Tweek ‘sup?" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Two workers had reported being sick so, I desperately need a hand." Generally, when Tweek sounded like World War III had just started, Butters tried to lessen the severity of the problem and instead tried to calm his friend down. However, the problem was real, a busy Tuesday morning always led to astronomical sales of coffee and, therefore, required more hands to meet the demand for the liquid.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Calm down fella, I'll be there in no time."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With no more time to waste, she put on the first thing she found after cleaning to go to work. Butters didn't have a car, despite the insistence of his father when she still had contact with him; in his place, he owned a motorcycle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The small business was part of Tweek's heritage from his parents that had been missing for almost three years, but honestly, it was likely a punishment. In those days, the cafeteria was in crisis, the city had grown so much that the company became a family business and, become a local store. Tweek would have gone crazy in a few weeks, but saving him was his best friend who had returned from business school and not only helped him save it but also made it a successful company with 10 branches in the state. However, none of them were in Denver.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he finally arrived, he found a total mess. His blonde friend was working hard so that he could deliver every single order at the time. The look of relief in Tweek’s eyes was the obvious signal for Butters to move his ass back to the bar and help him. Working with Tweek wasn't such a great experience, the boy usually had rage outbursts when coffee didn't fulfill his expectations.   </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The first two hours of work are always the busiest ones, getting used to the amount of work they have on a specific day. Butters always felt like the morning was the worst part of the day at work, he had never had enough time to fulfill every task he was commanded to do.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was almost 10 o’clock and the shop was finally empty, just some odd customer entered every ten minutes or so. Butters had decided to call the next day workers to supply the absence of today workers, it was almost a miracle they accepted to do, so Tweek and Butters could stop doing other’s work and begin with their own.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The back part of the shop was quite big, there were two desks with a separation, one for Butters, designated for accountability and management; and the other one for Tweek - who was in charge of human resources. In the back was a little depot for the store.<br/>Butters was looking to the emptiness, the thought of all his dreams he didn't accomplish was killing him. What happened between his bright future back at college and his current situation? The idea of being in the same town, living the same life forever, and probably living and dying in the same town was frightful. Disappointment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tweek…” He sighed. “I know we’ve talked about this before but, Don’t you think we’re stuck in this place? Like, we’ve been doing so well the last year and it suddenly changed…” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Leo…” Tweek wanted to avoid this conversation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you happy, Tweek?” Butters was not happy, his voice sounded weak and off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The uncomfortable silence was growing till the beep of Butter’s phone shattered it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Ken…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Leo, are you free?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure thing”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Would you like to hang out or something?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ll see... I’m not sure if it’ll be like that the whole morning, we’ve got some problems over here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Look dude, I’ve got some issues to discuss with you, and I’d like to talk with you and Tweek, Is it all ok with you if I go to the shop?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I’m sorry if I sounded mean…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No problem, see ya at ten.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Butters gave a glance at his phone, the black screen reflected his face, the years had passed quickly. He wasn’t the same 10 years old boy with a positive point of view. He had grown up and he felt sad for his sudden change.<br/>“Tweek, I’m sorry, I’m just not in my best mood.”<br/>“Don’t worry…”<br/>Ten minutes are usually quite a short time, but when someone is excited or all the opposite, ten minutes could last forever. Butters was excited for meeting Kenny again - it had been quite a time since the last meeting.<br/>The doorbell rang again when a blonde boy with black jeans, black converse, and an orange jacket entered, he seemed quite disturbing, his eyes looked off and his face reflected his inner feelings. Butters recognized his friend almost immediately.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Ken!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Butters…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny’s voice sounded off and even sad, Butters knew his friend had a bad morning or week.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“‘Sup? Why so down?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bad morning, that’s all…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So… Why suddenly visit? Not that I’m complaining but it’s kinda odd…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I just wanted to see my two friends, besides, I heard here and there that you want to get out of this town…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How did you…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon Leo, we all know that was your wish since high school.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, yeah… I mean, I do want to get out and move to the city,”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, but first I need to…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was suddenly cut by Tweek who ran to hug his friend, he hadn’t seen Kenny for almost two months, the long absence was mostly due to the double life of Kenny and the last attempt of Tweek and Butters to move the business to Denver.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Tweek, good to see ya too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kenny! Long time not to see ya”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A comfortable silence filled the shop, the time of the day was one of the most calm there were no customers and the workers were chatting back in the store.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So Tweek, since you both are here, I have a proposition for you, I know you want to move to the city and expand the business, but I also know you haven’t had a successful attempt until today…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What d-do you mean?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“look, guys, I had a good offer for you, as you know I had some business in Denver with some of the boys and we are plenty happy to help you to move there and not only help you with the coffee thing, but we’re also gonna help you with a new business.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hamburgers Kenny! Why the sudden offer?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, it-it sounds very odd”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, the trick is that we’re gonna have some control over the clubs and the buildings…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Club?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s right, you boys will have to manage a couple of clubs in Denver.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh god Leo… That’s too much pressure.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kenny…  I… We don’t know what to say…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s all up to you fellas, but you need to decide since the first club is already set and will have the big inauguration this weekend. I know it’s all sudden and you might be shocked but I need an answer as soon as possible.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Again the silence filled the shop but this time was different, a very uncomfortable silence and the pressure of Kenny were turning the environment for bad. Butters gave a quick smirk to Tweek then he looked around him, the shop and the street.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, I will do that, are you with me Tweek?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mmmm…. Sure!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tweek began to twitch and shake his own body like an overdosing person, the pressure of the decision almost finished him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Great then! So I will call you tomorrow for the ultimate details and…” He checked his phone for the date. “Perhaps you both need to do some shopping. Shit, it’s Tuesday…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both Tweek and Butters looked at each other and then they stared at Kenny looking for some explanation. Tweek noticed the disturbance in the face of his friend, he looked pretty bad. Maybe the whole situation was part of something else, he didn’t know what to think after that sudden act of generosity of his friend.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Last thing,” Kenny shouted. “you both will come with me to Denver Thursday morning, you need to dress in a suit.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny went out of the shop, the two friends again were shocked by Ken, what had just happened?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry for deciding without even time for talking to you…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s alright after all,  our dreams are finally coming true… Right?”</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Driving was not a pleasant experience for Craig. He avoided it whenever he could. Being close to Kenny gave her the possibility of always going as his companion. Despite his reluctance to drive, he preferred his car to take public transportation. If there was one thing Craig avoided more than driving, it was being around people. The road, to Craig's surprise, was empty. South Park wasn't exactly the favorite destination for Colorado and its drivers. However, the shortest route from Denver was through the interstate. The trip lasted between an hour and an hour and a half.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tweek's coffee was quite common in the city, but despite their high-quality drinks, they couldn't expand beyond its hometown. Craig didn’t call him a coffee lover, but he had to admit his preference for Tweek’s coffee. The story behind the sudden change of ownership was quite popular in the town. Rumors of methamphetamine trafficking through the two branches were the talk of the town for a whole month. Like any hot news, this one ended up getting cold. After almost half a year of investigation and the sudden escape of Messrs. Tweak, the DEA arrested several people involved with the manufacture and distribution of meta.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig admired Tweek for what he had done with a useless business. In a matter of months and with the help of Butters, they’d become a successful chain of coffeehouses. The first step had been made when they changed the brand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The "central office" of the said cafe was in the center of the city, a store that was too big for a limited space of attention. It was several things at once. It served as the administrative headquarters for the small company, as well as a warehouse.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he entered the coffee store, he looked at the blonde boy who was struggling with an espresso machine. It was a funny scene, the thin boy was fighting hard with the machine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon!” the blonde boy was hitting the machine. “Life warranty my ass.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The loud comment made Craig crackle with laughter. The image of a twitchy boy fighting and blaming an espresso machine was ridiculously funny. It was like an addict fighting for a bit of smack. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shit dude….” he was still laughing. “ Calm down, it’s just a machine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Over the years, Tweek finally got calmer and quiet. Sure he still had some anxiety episodes as well as </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Over the years, Tweek had become calmer and less anxious. While it is true that he still suffered from tics and mania, he was actually a very different person than that coffee addicted elementary schoolboy. Despite the events that led him to run his parents' fledgling business, Tweek had really managed to outdo himself, with the help of Butters of course.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not just a machine Craig,” said Tweek with a glimpse of annoyance in his voice. “It’s an espresso machine.” He was still fighting when Craig hold Tweek´s shoulders gently.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dude, calm down. You need to take a rest.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both boys headed to the nearest empty table. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can I get an espresso?” Craig teased Tweek.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck you, Craig. I told ya it wasn’t just a machine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was a joke dude…”  A sudden tension between them began to grow. “Anyways, how were you doing lately?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kenny came in the morning, make us an offer.” Tweek looked at Craig. “He told us he wanted to help us to reach the city.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig didn’t answer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Butters accepted the offer…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Again the silence was the only answer from Craig. His face showed concern and fear. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you ok?” Tweek looked at him with worry. He knew Craig was a man of few words but, he usually talked a lot when they were together. For a moment he thought that Craig was having a sort of heart attack or something. The sudden pale face of his friend only made Tweek felt even more worried. “Craig?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry… it’s just… Did he told you what kind of… What did he say?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, he said he got some dudes who wanted to invest in our business, and he wanted us to start a new business.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig swallowed, for a moment he felt like his friend was about to be used as a puppet for laundering their dirty money.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So… Are you gonna see him or something?” He tried to sound as smooth as possible.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re gonna meet Thursday.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig was amazed, but he was also worried about Tweek. He knew Tweek as much as he knew Kenny, but the situation seemed totally abnormal and strange to him. He didn't want to distrust Kenny. The silence was prolonged, Craig began to notice a certain discomfort on Tweek's face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Anyway, I’d like to see you before that meeting.” Tweek said sheepishly. He had more self confidence whenever he saw or was with Craig.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re a sort of lucky charm for me… Remember those shoes?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Three years ago, Craig gave Tweek a pair of black converse. It was a Christmas present because they spent the holidays together. It was Tweek's first Christmas without his parents and his friends decided to spend it with him. Tweek appreciated the gifts from his friends, he was still riding the bicycle that Kenny had given him on his 21st birthday. Those sneakers were special to him because they accompanied him through difficult times. They were the tennis of his luck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry Tweek, I’ll be there.” he gave him a sympathetic smile. “I’d be better going now, I had some things to do.” He stood up. “Call me, I’ll meet you wherever you want.” he winked at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bye, Craig.” Tweek waved furiously as he tried to hide the slight blush in his cheeks.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>The building near Denver's North Arts District was more of an old storage warehouse than a building as such, it had been remodeled to become an indie club. The boys had worked for a couple of months. The idea of locating a strategic point for smuggling and besides have greater access to the dry port of the city. Despite their intricate plans, all his efforts, and all his delicacy; it was never enough. New partners only meant new problems, new people to deal with.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The place was not lacking in life, the place was in a very active part of the city. The nights partying hard lasted until' dawn. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig ran to the building, the only good part of working with the FBI was the syren for traffic. The clock was reading seven at night when Craig got out of the car to enter the building. Even though Kenny had given him an exact time, Craig didn't care too much for his excessive delay. After all, Kenny was used to his lack of punctuality.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know you’re not much of a punctual person, but holy fuck, dude!” Kenny shouted at the first sight of Craig inside the building. “You were supposed to be here by an hour ago!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Calm the fuck down, I was busy,” his voice sounded dull yet annoyed. “Why are we here anyway?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought you’ll never ask.” Kenny glanced at his friend, “The end is near my friend.” He smiled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What does that mean?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It means that I finally had a plan to get us outta this life. All the money will be legal and we shall have peace.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Silence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s why you need Tweek? You’re gonna use him?” Craig asked angrily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What? No dude! No way!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why do you talk to them, then?” Craig walked towards Kenny.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m gonna help’em.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Silence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly Craig felt like a dumbass, of course, Kenny would help his friends to accomplish their dreams. He was their best friend, and he had done everything to help them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well…” Kenny broke the awkward silence between them. “As I was telling you, this could be the opportunity we’ve been looking for.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Explain yourself.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“With these little boys,” he said pointing to the empty space in the building. “ being night clubs, we will earn a lot of money with vending machines. Money that couldn’t be tracked.” He smirked at Craig. The old dream of leaving this life never faded in Kenny’s heart.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, we could live our dreamed lives? That’s what you’re saying right?” Craig asked doubtfully, he didn’t want to let his hopes get high. “How?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, with this new project we will open a management company so we get all the money out of the country to a safe location. Just like Amazon. We will laundry all the money and then we could live our lives.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m still not sure ‘bout what  you’re saying but I’m gonna trust you.” Craig looked at the place, it was a good plan after all. “How long?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Less than a year, that’s for sure.” Kenny walked to the front door. He was in such a good mood that he could almost illuminate the dark building with his happiness. “Need to do some business, get a drink, and bj… Are you coming?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig went out of the building in silence. Despite what his friend had told him, he couldn’t help to think there was something wrong with that. Within the years he had learned to trust in his instincts but also his friend. Kenny had an aura that inspired confidence almost immediately, unlike Craig, who inspired an opposite feeling. Kenny's words of having a normal life still echoed in his head. He couldn’t believe his friend.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dude, I’m gonna drive, I left my car in your place,” Kenny had a weird habit of using Craig places’ as his own. “You don’t mind, right?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig sighed, he actually didn’t give a flying fuck. Throughout his life in Denver, he had shared his house with him. “No worries, dude.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cool.” Kenny looked in his pockets for the keys of the car. “Want a drink?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They entered the car in silence. Kenny usually liked to talk while he was driving, but Craig looked like he wasn’t in the mood. The awkward silence was suddenly broke by Craig.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So… What is it? What is that fabulous life you were talking about?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, you were bitching about having a new life and stuff.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wasn’t bitching, but yeah. I really had the dream of getting the hell away from here, and finally had peace.” He was squeezing the steering wheel, trying to hide his sudden anxiety.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, what is that life then?” Craig insisted. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I like to think I’ll be in a convertible, driving on an Italian highway with a cute blonde by my side, heading to the next opera venue for my performance…” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No! Dude, that’s fucking dumb, and it’s fucking gay.” Kenny burst in a laugh. “I don’t really have a plan for the aftermath. Probably I’ll back to college, or maybe I’ll try to sing opera again… What about you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I do have a cute blonde in my sight, but I don’t really have a plan.” Craig looked at the window, realizing what he had said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A cute blonde, huh?” said Kenny teasingly. “That’s why you were so defensive towards Tweek?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nevermind Kenny,” Craig muttered angrily.  “I didn’t say that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon dude!” Kenny knew it was a lost battle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nevermind.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where are we going anyway?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s a bar close to a motel outside the city, I need to take care of a business.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you’re going in a fucking FBI car? In mine fucking FBI car?” Craig said angrily, he wasn’t the kind of person that shouts when he’s angry, instead, he sounded even calmer but utterly angry at the same time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dude, it’s nothing illegal. Just need to get some dough. Besides, there’s a nice bar near and a couple of bad bitches.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dude…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The car was closer to be a nightclub than a bar. The dim lights of the place and the relatively loud music created a rather youthful atmosphere. The presence of many university students denoted that it was an underground place. Certainly not only alcohol was sold, but the air also had a touch of tobacco and marijuana. He approached the bar and looked for the barman.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Scotch in the rocks.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Sorry, I only have whiskey, Jack and Johnny.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“is there a difference?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The barman nodded in agreement, neither he nor Craig was in the mood for arguing for such an ephemeral matter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig never drank beer, he hated it. The memories of the people in South Park drinking beer was disgusting. He made a promise to get drunk with expensive shit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“See you have taste, but you’re not picky, right?” a girl that was a few steps away was staring at Craig. “I like that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig glanced at her for a few seconds, she was pretty. Blonde hair, slim body, and great tits. “Thanks, I guess…”  Craig was gay, at least that what he thought. He’d never had let down an opportunity to fuck tho. He felt ashamed of himself for the thought, maybe she was alone, looking for a new friendship. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, aren’t you gonna offer me a drink?” she asked grinning at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you insist…” Craig followed her with a lustful smile. “What are you drinking?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cosmo.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Isn’t too early to party? I mean, it’s Tuesday.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I enjoy life, that’s all.” she gave a teasing smile to Craig. “I’m Michelle, by the way.” she extended his hand with grace.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Craig.” He held her hand and kissed smoothly- while he winked at her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They picked their drinks in silence, the sexual tension was in the air.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, Craig, what brought you here?” She took a sip of his drink. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just trying to chill with a friend. You know? I didn’t know about this place before.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gotta be kidding me, this place is quite popular.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really? Perhaps I lost the connection with this kind of place…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you married?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig almost choked himself with the drink, he coughed furiously a couple of times before glanced at her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the hell!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry but… Only husbands looking for one night adventure come here ‘with friends’ without even knowing this place, you know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I get it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Besides, it seems like I don’t have luck with men. Sounds kinda cliche but I only get to know gays or married dudes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ironic, thought Craig. He felt the duty of telling her the truth, but something held his tongue.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, since we have crossed a strange frontier, are you gay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not really…” he winked at her.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>It was around 1 am when Craig headed to his car outside the club. He wasn’t drunk enough not to distinguish a dude coming out of his car. He got closer to the guy, he was wearing a leather jacket. He walked beside him meeting with the strange eyes, the strange winked at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The car windows were foggy, he didn’t want to open the door, but he had to…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shit, dude!” Kenny was trying to put his pant up again when Craig opened the window. “I’ve just had a heart attack.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kenny, what the fuck?” He wanted to sound angry but the image of his friend with the pants down was funny enough to make him laugh. “Why!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry, you were taking your time, and I see this dude outside the club…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t want the shitty details. Let’s go home.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope y'all enjoyed it.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Meetings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“This is fucking lame, dude.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was almost a week, and Kyle couldn’t get his car back from maintenance. He had to ask Stan for a ride every morning. Not that he complained about having to share the trip with his friend, but Kyle really enjoyed the feeling of driving to his job every morning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It can’t be that bad. Am I that bad as a driver?” Stan asked him, half worried, half amused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not that. I just want my car back.” Kyle said childishly. “Anyway, How was your free day?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was good, I guess.” Stan stopped in the car. “Are you hungry?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What? Dude, we’re late for the meeting.” He immediately looked at his wrist, looking for the watch. “What time is it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Chill, I was teasing you.” Stan was trying to avoid the disaster of the past day. “What about you? Something interesting?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kyle glanced at his friend, confused for the sudden change. He knew Stan wasn’t good at communicating his emotions - neither was Kyle, but he tried. “I was doing the usual, you know? I went with my parents, made a quick visit to Ike, and that’s all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stan smiled while his friend was talking. The Broflovski family was ‘perfect.’ He hated to admit it, but he envied Kyle's family. Despite all their flaws. He hasn't spoken to his parents since he finished high school - not to mention his estrangement with Shelly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You ok?” Kyle asked sheepishly. A lonely yet thick tear-streaked the face of his friend. “Did something happen? You know you can talk with me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s late for the meeting.”Stan whipped his face furiously as he started the car again. An awkward silence filled the car as fast as the tension grew between them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kyle knew he shouldn’t have asked it. Throughout the years, Stan had become more and more reluctant to talk about his feelings - not that Kyle blamed him for that. The problem wasn’t the lack of feelings or emotions. Stan couldn’t express his emotions with words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The meeting was supposed to be settled in the FBI building. Despite the lack of formality, they needed to start working with their pairs in the federal office. It was already tiring for the two friends to have to meet with the agent. The lack of help and seriousness drove Kyle crazy. The entry of the building looked quite empty, even for a federal one.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without uttering a single word, both got out of the car and headed to the building. The walk didn’t long too much.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Morning, we’re looking for agent Tucker, organized crime division,” Kyle asked. The receptionist was a middle-aged woman. “We’re supposed to have a meeting with him at 8:30.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The woman didn’t react. His eyes were focused on the pc screen. Kyle thought he didn’t talk clearly or loudly enough. He was about to speak when she finally answered. “Who are you?” Even the way she made the question bothered Kyle, it felt like forks and knives scratching the glass. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kyle glared at her, he was furious. “I am THE sergeant Broflovski and my partner, detective Marsh.” He hoped his reputation was big enough to be recognized in a federal office. “We came from the Denver police department.” He was breathing furiously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, sergeant Broflovski,” she said obnoxiously. “The office of the agent Tucker is on the third floor. You must leave any gun or metal object in the box over there.” She pointed to a security guard. “And I have to see your badges.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine!” Kyle barked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they were climbing the stairs, Stan burst into a laugh. The scene at the reception was enough to cheer him up. He knew that his friend was not a patient person - he was indeed a person who lost his temper easily. The laugh was short, but that didn't stop Kyle from giving him a killer look.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s so fucking funny?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry,” Stan fought in vain with the laugh. “It was a funny scene, that’s all.” Kyle glared at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The third-floor was busy when they arrived. People ran with tons of papers in their hands, one of them hit Kyle, causing a mess of papers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh man, sorry,” Kyle said immediately, helping her to stand up, “I didn’t see you.” He looked at her, she recognized her immediately. “Heidi?” Sensing Heidi's somewhat tired gaze, Kyle froze for a moment, unable to utter a single word.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Kyle,” she smiled at him, turning his attention back to the papers on the floor. “Sorry for the mess, we’re having quite a busy week,” she stared at him, “what brought you here, anyway?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We have a meeting with some people from the division,” Stan talked before Kyle could even open his mouth. “Hi.” He waved at her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry for not seeing you, Stan.” Heidi smiled at him sheepishly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No problem, Didn’t know you work here,” he said, “I’d like to talk a little more, but we already are late.” He picked up Kyle, who was on his knees. “Alright lover boy, time to go.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Heidi giggled at the comment, she picked up the last papers and said bye to the boys.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why did you say that, dude? Not cool.” Kyle muttered angrily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I made you a favor.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They walked in silence until they reach the office they were looking for. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry, fellas. Craig hasn’t arrived yet, you’ll have to wait.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both stared at the name in the door: </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Special Agent C. Tucker. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Organized Crime Division.</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>Kenny was laughing maniacally, he had stopped the car for a second time - afraid of having an accident. Despite the displeasure of his companion, he could not resist the laugh that, at that point, caused him pain in the stomach.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dude, it’s not funny. It’s fucking disgusting!” Craig tries his best to sound angry, but the contagious laughter of his friend made him draw a smile on his face. “Stop! Damn it!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry,” he laughed, “but it’s hilarious.”  He opened the door and tried to breathe. “Alright,” he inhaled, “I’m fine.” exhaled. “Alright,” he smiled at Craig, “you’re right, sorry for the condom.” He tried his best to keep a straight face. “Sorry.” he coughed, trying to hide the laughter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Asshole,” Craig said with a smile on his face. “Now, get your ass inside, we’re gonna arrive late.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig had been furious with Kenny after he found a used condom in the backseat. It belonged to Kenny and his most recent ‘adventure’ back in the parking lot of the club. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were heading to the Hilton, both Butters and Tweek spent the night in Denver. Kenny and promised to pick them up and take them to Token’s office. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s in the bag?” Kenny asked, fully recovered from the condom incident.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Something for Tweek,” Craig said, he didn’t want to have that conversation, “it’s not your business.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Geez, dude. I’m just trying to talk to you. No need to be an asshole.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Keep driving.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they finally arrived at the Hilton, they spotted the blondes outside the hotel. Tweek was drinking furiously from his big-sized coffee cup, whereas Butters was mimicking a compulsive washing of hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m gonna need you two minutes, I also need to talk with Butters,” Kenny said, “No need to thank me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig didn’t answer, he was shocked by the ability of his friend to read his mind. He couldn’t even decide if he had to thank him or blow his head with a gun. He finally decided to offer a pale smile to his friend. When Kenny looked at his friend, he knew it was the best Craig could do or say as a grateful gesture.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He drove dangerously close to the sidewalk - one of the sins of Kenny as a driver. When they were behind the two friends, Kenny honked his horn, causing Tweek to jump up and throw his coffee almost three feet away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello, ladies. Do you need a ride?” Kenny couldn't help but sound like a rapist or a predator.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Goddammit, Kenny. That was the last cup of coffee I had.” Tweek shouted, glaring at Kenny angrily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry, dude.” Kenny got out of the car. “You two look great anyway,” said, trying to break the tension between.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Butters was the first to answer. “Thanks,” he muttered sheepishly, “I think we should be going, we can’t arrive late.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay, the agent here will use all his FBI skills to help us to arrive on time.” Kenny winked at Craig as he just rolled his eyes. “But first, I need to talk to you,” he looked at Butters, “can you excuse us for a moment?” he turned his gaze to Craig and Tweek.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both of them walked inside the hotel.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So… Tweek,” Craig turned his attention to his friend, “I…” his glance focused on his shoes - very old shoes. “I got a present for you, I hope it brings you luck.” He sought for the bag inside the car. “I believe these are your favorites.” A pair of black converse.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Craig… I don’t know what to say…” he gave him a confused gaze, “I mean, thanks, but… You didn’t have to do it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why not? You’re my friend,” he smirked at him, “Besides, I do believe you can’t use those with a suit.” he pointed at his shoes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tweek jumped and embraced Craig as tight as he could. He was speechless so, the only way he said thanks was through a hug.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon, you better change those before they came back.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tweek only nodded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The lobby was huge, even for a business center. The boys were supposed to meet Token at 8:30, but the clock was about to strike nine o’clock. Kenny had decided to be with them since he had a free morning. Craig, on the other hand, claimed he needed to take care of some ‘affairs.’ Leather is not a friend of blue jeans. The expensive leather chairs in the lobby creaked with Kenny's every move. “These are bullshit,” was the thought of Kenny, they were extremely uncomfortable - according to him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As the time would keep going, Tweek was more and more anxious. He had even established a routine: Bite his knuckles, look at his watch, check his cell phone, put his hands together, and scratch the back of his neck. Over and over again. Butters was quite the opposite, he was on his phone with earphones, scrolling through the internet. He was scared as fuck, but years of living with his parents had taught him to keep calm. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At nine o’clock, the doors on the left opened. Two people entered the lobby, one was of course Token. He was wearing a simple black suit with a dark blue tie. By his side was a small boy, probably 5’6’’ or so. He was wearing a wool sweater, similar to the one worn by college students.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry for the delay, we had some problems that needed our attention.” Token stop what was about to say when he saw Kenny, “I wasn’t expecting you, but it could be helpful right now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nice to see you, asshole,” said Kenny dryly. “Who’s the guest?” He glared at the boy beside Token.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“David, here, will help us with some affairs, just the essential.” He smirked at the boys. “Anyway, would you like something? A drink? Food?” token tried to sound polite.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can I have a cigarette?” Tweek asked slowly, "I need one."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny looked at him amazed, he didn’t know Tweek smoke. The last time they smoke or something was back at college, at least when he was in college.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure,” Token searched in his pockets, finally he handed Tweek a silver case, “need a lighter?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No thanks.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as Tweek took the first drag to his jig, he calmed down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m gonna be fast and clear. My apologies for the lack of details, but as I said, David here will help you.” He gestured his hand to show David one more time. “Kenneth, can we talk.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny only nodded as he stood up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As they walked to Token’s office, Kenny lit up a cigarette.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t you dare to leave them in my plants, Nichole almost killed me last time.” He glared at Kenny, “and you seem to only smoke these slim cigarettes, she thought it was from a girl.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dude, there’s a solution for that and it’s called divorce.” Kenny teased him as he entered the office.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck you.” Token seated in his expensive chair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, what the heck you want?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought you’ll never ask,” he gave him a dull smile, “I have a problem.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dude, I’ve already told you. If you have a problem, you need to talk with Cartman.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He already told to me, but it seems that you’re the problem here…” A relatively fat Boy came out of the shadows. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck!” Kenny jumped on his seat, throwing his cigarette to the floor. “What the hell, dude?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s a huge problem here, Ken.” Cartman took his cigar out of his mouth. “You didn’t come up with a plan, you promised us one.” He walked to Kenny’s seat. “I’m worried about it, you know? Can I keep trusting you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have it now, chill dude.” Kenny did his best to try and sound smooth. “This club shit will ensure us a good way to sneak into the bay,” he said with growing confidence, “You can trust me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kenny, we’re not charity,” he crouched down to the same level of Kenny, “we can’t just throw money, and see what happens.” He blew the smoke right in Kenny’s face. “Did you help Clyde with his financial crisis? I believe you don’t, but you seem quite eager to help a couple of fags.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not that easy, you know that,” Kenny answered angrily, “He didn’t listen to me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s your problem, not mine,” he stood up, “We’re gonna talk about it on Saturday at the Club.” He turned his gaze to the door. “I have a new project.” He stared at Kenny, “You’re gonna come with me next week, we’ll talk with Carlino’s boss” He walked away, but he stopped at the door. “Token, these taste like shit.” he threw the cigar at Token’s desk.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The room was in silence for a minute until Token broke it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I hope your plan works.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Me too.”</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>When Craig finally arrived at his office, he watched two ‘foreigners’ outside his office. He didn’t recognize any of them. At first sight, he thought they must have come from D.C. Maybe they were looking for some paperwork. Despite the curiosity, he decided to talk with some coworkers. Finally, he reached his office, avoiding the visitors. Before closing the door he muttered, “Gimme five.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey! We’ve been waiting for half an hour.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He closed the door. He walked toward his desk when a sudden knock made him jump.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine! Come in.” He shouted annoyed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two men entered in silence, one of them had a notorious red meddy hair, but the other looked like Craig’s doppelgänger. Black hair and tall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How can I help you, gentlemen?” Craig asked politely.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m the sergeant Broflovski from DPD, and by my side Agent Marsh,” Kyle said glaring at him, “we’re the assigned personnel for the task force.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” Craig answered automatically, his brain was having a malfunction. Suddenly hearing their names numbed his mind. “You’re like, Stan Marsh and Kyle Broflovski?” Craig asked doubtfully. After ten years of not seeing their faces, it was quite difficult for Craig to distinguish them. “Are you from South Park?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, you must be THAT Craig Tucker, right?” Stan asked him drily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a phone call that broke the tension between them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m busy” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s important,” Craig recognized the worried voice of Kenny. “Cartman began to suspect.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What did he say?” He looked at the pair in front of him, trying to keep a blank face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ll talk at the club on Saturday, he wants me to come with him to talk with Carlino.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll call you later.” he hung up his phone. “Sorry for that,” he turned his attention to them, “Where were we?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Look, asshole. I don’t know how you guys manage the things here, but we’ve already started to work. We need some information.” Kyle couldn’t manage to contain his growing anger. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok, first of all, you need to calm down. Secondly, I can share any federal investigation with you, and finally, I don’t want to. But you can and will share all the current investigation.” Craig said triumphantly. “So, I believe you’re the ones who need to share the information, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kyle opened his mouth but not a single sound came out. He was pissed, but Craig was right.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good,” he smiled obnoxiously, “now that is set who is going to do what, I’d like to see those reports, and maybe go to the crime scene.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They nodded in defeat. It could have passed more than ten years, but they did hate Craig Tucker.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The crime scene was still isolated, the police tapes were covering the whole block as well as the barricades. It was a futile action since people walked through the street. When Craig saw this, he laughed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His attention was on the police report and the latest news from the case. ‘Kenny is good confusing them.’ he thought. He felt a strange feeling when he read it. Most of the cases he had been assigned to weren’t the crimes he had committed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, it seems we don’t have too much to work with, right?” He turned his gaze to Stan. “Let me ask something, how many cases like this you’ve got?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m qualified for the job, and no, we don’t have too much,” Stan answered, glaring at Craig.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Have you ever been in a mafia case? This looks like one.” Craig walked a few steps away from Stan, “it’s not the first job of the gang, that’s for sure.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bravo,” Stan said sarcastically, “I wouldn’t have realized without your help… please, continue.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig was having fun with the reaction of Stan. “they were four, no less. Where’s the forensic report?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Enough!” Stan barked, “we’re not a bunch of idiots, you’re not saying or asking anything new!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Chill,” Craig smirked at him, “I just wanna see it, that’s all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re holding it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig looked at the papers and revolved them, “I see.” He looked at the evidence found in the corpses. The bullets were special, only the mob used them. “Alright, Robocop, the bullets can’t be in the police’s files, but I guess you know that.” He looked at Stan again, “these are from the Japanese mafia.” It was a half-truth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why they would do something like this,” he pointed the whole street, “in Denver? That doesn’t make any sense.” Stan said, he remembered what the captain said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Probably not them but someone working with them,” Kyle said, neither Stan nor Craig acknowledged him, “But I don’t think so. They’ve been doing this for a long time in the state.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?” Craig asked skeptically, “how come?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We have a suspect that matches with suspects in similar cases, and we have a witness,” Kyle smirked at Craig with superiority, then he raised a picture from a CCTV - there was a blonde with a hoodie in there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A bead of cold sweat ran down Craig's temple. He suddenly lacked confidence. His legs were beginning to fail and his breathing became heavier. “Sam,” he muttered, or at least he thought he muttered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What was that?” asked Kyle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I said… Same,” he tried to hide his fear, “I used to have a suspect with that description, maybe it’s the same.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stan headed to Kyle, when he was close enough he whispered, “bullshit.”</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>Stan had been sober for almost seven years. Fighting with his addiction wasn’t easy - he felt vulnerable. Only three persons were with him during his alcoholism, Kyle, Wendy, And Kenny - the last one usually went with him to his AA meetings. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The meetings were always on Tuesday, and he had never missed any of them.  The community center he had been going to for seven years was by the river, a lovely place to find inner peace. Going there was painful by times, a total pleasure some others. The mix of emotions he confronted was overwhelming. That was one of the reasons he thanked the presence of his friend.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the beginning, he used to go with either Wendy or Kyle. Despite both of them being supportive, Stan felt guilty every time they were there. He hated that because he was just like his father, and he hated him. Kenny wasn’t like them - he actually went with him to deal with his depression after quitting college. Perhaps the feeling of disappointment was something they shared by the time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seeing Kenny waiting for him outside the center was relieving - his friend had such a positive aura. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re late,” Kenny said, “what happened?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not a good week.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The whole meeting was always a strict set of steps.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>First, there was the main speaker who helped new people to introduce themselves. “Please tell us about you,” was the most common phrase. It was always nice to see how people were ready for a change in his life. Sometimes some of the ‘freshmen’ were too young - just like Stan. It was heartbreaking to see them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After the brief introduction, the moment to think over their life. Usually, they made small groups to help each other. In some of those groups, people cried, men and women; it didn’t matter. Some people told them about their experiences, some told their favorites anecdotes. Stan had deduced, based on the tone of voice used, the time at which they made a difference. Some talked about their years before falling into alcoholism, others during and the most optimistic talked about how they enjoyed their second chance - every story broke him and the speaker.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The last part was the most important - that’s how Stan saw it. They shared his goals and accomplishments with the whole room. It was the night of Stan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello, my name is Stan Marsh and I am an alcoholic.” The first statement was important. A silent reminder of your fault. “I’ve been sober for almost seven years, and I’m proud of it.” The second statement was also a reminder, you’re the only one who would save you. “I was thinking about how much my life has changed since I took the first step. I’m a disciplined man. Yesterday I was with my wife, we had an elegant dinner,” the eyes of Stan crystalized. “We drank wine,” he smirked at the public, “but I didn’t get drunk.” Some people began to applause him, people that had been there for decades, people that knew Stan. “I’m happy to be a new person, and happy to be here. Thanks.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The meeting had ended a couple of minutes ago, but Stan was still on his chair. Kenny was by his side and carefully asked, “bad week, huh?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m a fucking liar, Ken,” Stan whispered, “I’m just like him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know that’s not true,” Kenny patted his back. “You have the courage to face your problem.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t get drunk, but I can’t take it anymore.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can, and you will.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I need a joint.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny looked at his friend, he knew it was as bad as getting drunk, but he also knew that Stan could manage the pot better than liquor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> They were on the only bench of the small park, after a quick stop for a meal in Burger King. Kenny took a small joint from his jacket.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How are you doing?” he took a deep drag.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t complain,” stan extended his hand to pick the ciggy, “But I’d like to.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I ain’t going anywhere.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I had to work with Craig Tucker.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny didn’t answer immediately, he knew it. “Can’t be that bad.” He looked at the sky, thinking his words carefully.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Believe me, dude. It is,” Stan blew the smoke to the sky, “I have a bad feeling about this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What about Sherlock Holmes? Is he with you?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stan was aware of the relation between Kyle and Kenny. Despite Kenny forgave him for what he said, he didn’t do the same for what Sheila said about his sister. It seemed that Ike and Karen were caught in Ike’s room a couple of years ago - it’s not necessary to explain what they were doing. “He’s into the shit too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cool.” Kenny was high enough not to give a damn for Kyle. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’d better go home. Wendy must be worried,” he looked at his friend, “need a ride?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I could use one of those right now.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Quick fact: Pete and Sam Carlino controlled the flow of alcohol from Southern Colorado to Denver from 1922 to 1931 during prohibition.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The club</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is where the fun begins.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Eric Cartman, two words. Two words that at some point did not mean too much, did not inspire anything or anyone. If you lived anywhere outside of South Park, those two words were probably just another child's name. But things change, and perception does too. Eric had created his reputation from zero. The world of crime had fit in him like a glove.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eric usually spent fifteen minutes in the mirror, it was a sacred ritual for him. He loved to see his face, looking at the powerful man he was. His round yet gaunt face was just one of the many features that formed over the years. His eyes seemed devoid of humanity, his sunken eye sockets betrayed his nightlife of excess. However, those very features were the display of all the power that she had accumulated over the years. Few people in the underworld could have more power or be more dangerous than him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The life of Eric wasn’t common - even for a man like him. He had mixed the dangerous life of a criminal with the life of a millionaire. He portrayed himself as a copy of Capone. “Untouchable” was the word he used to describe himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Saturday was his favorite day by far. It was the only day he’d have followed his schedule - if he had one. Just like any other rich person, he used to go to the country club and spent the morning playing some dumb game in the grass. After that, he usually went to talk with Don Carlino, his protector. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you ever played golf before, Eric?” Salvatore, a 60 years old man, asked, “it’s awful, but at least make you move the body.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I’ve never played it before. The closest experience I have with golf was a videogame.” Eric said as he walked by Salvatore’s side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are lucky then,” he gave a warm smile to Eric. “How are you doing, son?” He usually saw Cartman as the son he never had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m doing fine, I have some minor problems right now”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I saw on TV, good job. Clean and fast, I bet nobody will ever find you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, I always follow your advice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “You’re a good boy. Someday you will have more power than I could dream.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m flattered by your words,” he looked at his eyes. “But, I hope this extraordinary meet has a major purpose that warning me to not play golf,” Eric asked teasingly, “although it was good to know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eric,” he put his hand in his back in a paternal way, “we’ve been together for almost ten years. You have proved yourself as a loyal man. However,” his face faded, “people around me still doubt over my decisions.” He got closer to his ears. “They can’t be trusted, Eric. That’s what I need your help now more than ever before.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What can I do? What you need me to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beware of your people, even the most loyal dog would betray his owner.” he stared at him, holding the silence, “I know you’ve been working with a bigger group, pick your best men and come to my house next week.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your wish, my command.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look around you, Eric. They can’t be trusted.” He said before he got into his car.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hearing the plans of his boss wasn’t a surprise for Eric. Over the years he had helped Salvatore to seize control of the City. He was his loyal soldier, in exchange he had plenty of liberty to operate in the city and the nearest counties. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He made the trip back to his home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Modest in appearance, the Cartman house had everything a mansion could possess. No doubt the years of "hard" work were reflected there. The disorder, however, overshadowed his inner opulence. From empty bottles to used syringes, the place was the materialization of Eric's soul. The couches were stained with blood and semen, the expensive rugs were dirty rags that absorb alcohol. The chairs that weren't broken were covered in clothing. The kitchen was also a disaster, the few dishes were dirty, a few spoons and cutlery adorned the painful scene. The only two places that were kept clean were her bedroom and bathroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His mind wandered in a sea of empty thoughts, his feet were driving him to his bedroom. The overwhelming silence of the house numbed his ears, allowing him to stop feeling the world around him. He threw himself into the bed, suddenly his body was too heavy for his legs. Cartman was exhausted, but he couldn’t felt like that. He must keep his eyes open, but it was too hard, too difficult. Years of living without concerns, without worries, did they ever gonna catch him? Did he ever gonna pay for his deeds? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes began to close, and his mind started to realized that he was human - a thought that frightened him.  The sudden fear of losing his power caught him in the middle of the darkness. Perhaps, deep inside his soul, he wasn’t happy with his life. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The silence shattered with the sound of his phone. An incoming call.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eric, I’m waiting outside your place!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Give me a moment, Clyde.” Of course, it had to be Clyde. The only friend he had, but he didn’t know that. “Did you bring the shit?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I have it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clyde’s car was a Rolls Royce. It was a gift from Cartman, just like the other cars before. Despite they were friends, the travels were usually in silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You ok?” Clyde asked sheepishly, “you’re not looking good lately…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine, Clyde,” Cartman asked drily, looking outside the window, avoiding the inquiring eyes of Clyde, “I’m just tired.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did - Did you talk with Kenny?” Clyde sounded less and less confident.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, he said he’d see what can we do…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s bullshit, he’s been saying the same shit for a month or so…” Clyde was annoyed for the answer of Kenny, “How come he never help me with this? That’s not fucking fair!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Clyde, shut up.” Cartman turned his gaze to the driver. “We all have problems,” he looked outside, holding the silence for a couple of seconds. Cartman couldn’t lose the trust in Clyde so, he had to give in to his demands. Clyde wasn't a brilliant boy, but he was the connection with Token - the connection with a laundering net. “Look, we’re gonna talk with him tonight in the club. You’re gonna have what you deserve…” he smirked at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know I can trust you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eric was checking his phone when he realized the car stop. He looked outside, they were driving through McDonald’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Clyde, the fuck?” he was annoyed, “are we really going to stop in a fucking McDonald’s?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m hungry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine!” he thought for a while, “bring me something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not coming?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not gonna stop here, I need you for a quick job. We eat on the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As long as we eat, I’m fine with that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a quick meal, they both headed to an empty building on the outside of the city. The building was usually used as a meeting point for drug dealers. With the right amount of money, the police would be happy to turn his head to another side. However, not all of them followed the orders. In one of the first jobs of Cartman, they were caught by a young officer - what happened to him is not worthy to tell. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eric was well-known for his excessive use of violence, which was one of the reasons he earned a ruthless reputation in the streets. One of the most infamous stories was the time he murdered a traitor who worked for the police - inspired by Seven - Eric sent the headless body to the police station.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are we here?” Clyde asked almost whispering, “Eric?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s a smuggler right here, he hadn’t pay for operating here. We had to remind him why he has to pay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t get it, isn’t this a job for a soldier or something? Why are we doing this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This dude used to be a man of trust for Don Carlino,” he gazed at Clyde, “a personal affair ALWAYS require a personal treatment…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is the plan?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This car has tools?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They waited outside the building, the sun was partially covered by the clouds. The day was getting cloudy. They looked at each other, knowing that the rain would be an ally. Holding his breath, Cartman made a gesture to keep quiet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The back door of the building opened as a man came out. He seemed to be hurry as he walked to his car.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s our man…” whispered Cartman. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clyde nodded in understanding. They walked quietly towards him. They were just a couple of feet behind him. “Todd! My friend, what are you doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Todd jumped as he turned his body to see Cartman - who was in front of him. His face went blank and pale, he turned his gaze back to his car, but Clyde was there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you gonna say hi?” Cartman smiled obnoxiously, “I thought we were friends…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cartman, I already said to Monke I’ll pay…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? ‘Cuz I came here for Monke.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please…” Todd was shaking violently, his voice was broken, “I beg you…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, heavy drops of rain started to fall, the darkness began to grow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We know you’re going to pay, but we have to be sure…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as Eric finished speaking, Clyde grabbed him by the neck, which petrified Todd. Just when he realized what was going on, Cartman kicked him in the stomach. Clyde led him by the neck to where his car was, Cartman pulled a 20-inch wrench from his sleeve.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stretched out his arm just enough to hit him hard on the hood of the car. A deafening scream broke out in the middle of the storm. Poor Todd had no way to defend himself, so he only managed to raise his hand for mercy. But Cartman knew no mercy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grabbed it by his jacket and started beating him fiercely until he was unconscious. They both hit the glass of the car as well as the hood. Cartman seemed to be enveloped in a cloud of violence, his disheveled face revealing a sick taste for what he did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Open the trunk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Clyde opened it, they saw a pair of bags. They cut both bags to check inside them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look, this pig was loaded,” Cartman pointed at the money and drugs inside the trunk, “No wonder why he didn’t want to share his wealth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What now?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think he will make it to the hospital. Pick the shit…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t say anything about murdering…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was an accident, don’t cry for that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clyde remained in silence as he picked up the things and took them to his car. He wasn’t a murderer- even when ha had killed people before, he hated it. New death in his list wasn’t something he wanted in his mind, in his life.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Kenny had been working hard for the last 24 hours. He didn’t help them to only get ready for the big night, he was also helping them to establish in the city - despite the continuous objections of Tweek. He hadn’t slept or even taken a break from his work. His head was about to explode.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was around 6 pm when he finally finished all the job. He was in the club with Butters and Tweek. Despite looking tired, a smile was on their faces. The hard work was worthy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Geez, what a day…” Butters said as he threw himself in the nearest chair, “I can’t believe we made it in just a couple of hours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y-Yeah, but I’m still worried about the coffee shop.” Tweek picked his ninth cup of coffee. “I hope everything is ok.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Relax man, I’ve already checked,” Kenny smirked at his friend, “Red is doing fine.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were chatting for a couple of minutes when Kenny’s phone rang.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yo Craig, ‘Sup?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Can you pick me up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dude, that’s why you have your own car…” Kenny was smiling, “Give me thirty minutes, but… I need a favor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m listening.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beetlebum.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dude… Aight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hung up and gazed at his friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need to make a quick trip,” he looked at Tweek, “Looks like someone has luck.” He winked at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gonna bring Craig,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tweek looked down, trying to hide his smile to his friends. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenny entered his car - a dark blue Honda Civic - He turned on the radio. The Trip was short and smooth. Kenny usually listened to music on every trip, but when traveled with Craig, it was always in silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he finally arrived at Craig’s house, he honked a couple of times. He looked at the door, waiting for Craig to come out. While he waited, he looked at his phone to change the song that was being played. Despite being a great connoisseur of music, he did not listen to many genres; his favorite was opera. Opera was a bittersweet pleasure, in his youth he was shaping up to be a great singer, a tenor like Bocelli or Pavarotti; However, he decided to leave his dreams behind to help his brothers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Craig finally came out of his house with a small box in his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You sure took your time, dude,” Kenny teased, “what happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s hard to find heroin, you know? Besides, I wasn’t looking only for heroin…” Craig touched the front pocket of his suit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cartman?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He asked me to bring Coke to the club.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m still wondering how an FBI agent manages to get drugs. And I also wonder why Cartman keeps looking you for drugs.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I had my ways,” he smirked at Kenny. Then he extended the box to him, telling him with a gaze to pick it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenny took the box that Craig offered him, when he opened it he saw a syringe already prepared. "You always think of me, right?" He offered her a warm smile as he unbuttoned the left sleeve of his shirt. His once delicate skin bore the violence he had witnessed his entire life.  The needle tore a hole in the arm, the blood mixed violently with the smack before going back to the veins.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The effect is almost immediate, the blow makes you shake and lean briefly on the wheel. A sudden laugh that escapes in the middle of his trance makes Craig shiver.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dude, you ok?” Craig asked, “Maybe I should drive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenny glared at him as he turned on the radio, “I’m fine.” Craig knew first hand that it was not a good idea. Kenny wasn’t a violent person, but he was dangerous whenever he was high on any kind of drug. Although it didn’t happen too much, Craig wasn’t too comfortable around Kenny - the dope Kenny of course.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you like opera?” Kenny was totally recovered from the initial shock, he had a smile on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t like that much, I’d rather listen to something different.” Craig took a cigarette out of his pocket and lighted up. “But I’d like to listen to it.” He knew that Kenny was about to reproduce music, he couldn’t say no - at least not now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My favorite singer is Pavarotti, by far. Bocelli and Caruso are good tho.” He turned on the car and started to drive. “What are your picks?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I only knew the first one,” he was smoking smoothly, trying his best to avoid looking at Kenny, “Perhaps I should listen more of it, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenny nodded slowly, he was focused on the road. Then he mumbled “</span>
  <em>
    <span>così diventa tutto piccolo.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>It was a phrase from the song. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why is he so sad?” Craig tried to start a conversation, he’d prefer to have a dull conversation than travel in silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s in love.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What a cliché, why would someone be so down for love? It’s kinda dumb.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not regular love, Enrico Caruso was a great Tenor.” Kenny suddenly sounded clear and far from being high, “he loves his work and his dedication. It’s kinda complicated.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s creepy,” Craig began to enjoy the conversation, “If you were a singer, would you love someone else’s job?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d not mind if that means I’d have a better life.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” Craig realized what he had said, “I didn’t realize.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t mind it, It’s my fault,” Kenny turned his head and looked at Craig, “Did you talk with Clyde lately?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The abrupt change of topic dazed Craig, how the fuck opera led him to ask for Clyde? Craig was conscious of the rocky relationship between Clyde and the blonde. So, it was strange for Kenny to ask about Clyde - it felt like Craig asking for Stan. “What?” was the only word that could come out of his mouth. His mind was in a momentary loss of function. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cartman is breaking my balls for Clyde. He wants more, more money, more power… more freedom.” Despite the seriousness of the topic, Kenny was smirking innocently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t know you have such power,” Craig was uneasy, he felt uncomfortable talking about his friend, “Why would he ask you such a thing? I mean, Isn’t Cartman in charge of that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Clyde wants to enjoy his money, wants liberty to do whatever the fuck he wants to. I was supposed to help him to make money,” Kenny’s face faded, “I believe he wants to quit, just like all of us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He can do whenever he wants, but why does he need you? That doesn’t make any sense, Token is the one who does the laundering thing.” Craig was confused by Kenny’s words, He wanted to believe it was part of the shit-talking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cartman and Clyde want to betray us, that’s why they need my help. I bet they’ll ask you to do something,” Kenny said with an off voice, “I think we’re in danger.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...” Craig held his breath as he was processing what he just heard. Could it be possible that Clyde - his old friend Clyde - want to betray them? How far did they get after all those years of crime? He didn’t want to believe, but deep inside him, he knew it must be true. “I’ll talk with Token and Clyde.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Token was success and luxury made flesh; a life of privilege and opportunity had made him one of the youngest exponents in the business world. A difficult person to deal with due to his growing ego, but also a trustworthy person, and with an undeniable nose for good deals. Anywhere he went was an event, and it was really no wonder, without really wanting it he had become a quasi-celebrity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Token was married to Nichole, who was aware of his private life. It was a relationship that had lasted almost 15 years, a time that had too many ups and downs. It was a strange relationship caught between his contradictions. Nichole hated Token for what he did, but at the same time, she loved him for what he did. It was actually a couple trapped in the life of rich and crime at the same time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The marriage arrived early at the club, of course, it wasn’t because they wanted to avoid the crowded row. The limo was filled with three suitcases, a special delivery.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Token entered the club, looking around for a 'familiar' face. A pat on the back from him broke her concentration.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Toke! ‘Sup man?” It was the thick yet delicate voice of Clyde, “I thought you’ll be here very late…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Clyde,” Token gave him a smooth smile, “we need to cover some business, have you seen Ken?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The mood of Clyde fell as soon as he heard the name of Kenny. “I haven’t seen him,” he couldn’t help to sound annoyed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s the matter?” Token wasn’t too close to Kenny, but he saw him as someone you could rely on, “Is there a problem I’m not aware of?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clyde was about to say something when he heard heavy steps near to him. He turned his gaze to see who was it. “Eric? I thought you had to…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ehmm,” Cartman glared him, “I was in the bathroom, ‘sup Token?” He stopped walking right in front of them, “Where’s Nichole? I thought you would bring her to the party.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Token fulminated him, knowing that the question was everything but curiosity. He inspected Eric until he looked at his shoes. He bent down to Eric’s ear and whispered, “Clean your crimes you fat bitch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eric gazed at him in disbelief. Token should be scared of seeing him, a gesture pointing his shoes made him looked down - there was blood in his shoes. He shook his head a couple of times before he regained consciousness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was asking if any of you had seen Ken,” Token asked, grinning his teeth. “There’s a couple of things we had to talk about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What kind of THINGS?” Cartman asked as the tension was growing, “Cuz I believe we also have THINGS to discuss.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Personal stuff, something about his sister,” Token was looking inside his pocket when a warm voice cut the tension among them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, fellas!” Butters approached them with an innocent smile on his face, “Token, I wasn’t expecting you to come this early.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Butters, where’s Ken?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was supposed to pick Craig up, I thought he was the one who had arrived.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Token nodded at the comment, knowing that his personal affairs would have to wait, and instead he would have to talk with Cartman. They weren’t friends, its only connection was Clyde - a fact that bothered Token. He didn’t agree with Craig by the moment he decided to work with the fat boy, he wasn’t with Clyde when he became a criminal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Token didn’t blame him for what happened to any of his friends, he blamed him for not helping them to get out of that life. He knew people, he knew places and he had the money to help them but there was always something that held him. Perhaps the adrenaline was too addictive, once you tried you need more, but it got harder and harder to get.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was around seven pm when Craig and Kenny finally arrived. Kenny - clearly doped - was with a big smile on his face, winking at the few girls inside the club. Craig was holding by the arm, taking him to the second floor where most of his friends should have been. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“C’mon, Kenny, we need to go upstairs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I like that girl.” Kenny was mumbling. He turned his attention to the second floor. His face faded and his smile disappeared as soon as he gazed at a blonde boy chatting with some random guy. “Is that Leo?” He stared at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You need something to wake up, I can’t believe you’re still high,” Craig almost dragged him to the nearest chair, “and yes, he’s definitely Butters.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where the fuck have you been?” the voice of Token brought Kenny back to the land of the living, “Kenny, weren’t we supposed to meet as soon as possible here?” he bent down to be face to face, “without the fatass? Uh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I - I… “</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He wasn’t in conditions to speak,” Craig saved Kenny’s ass, “It’s kinda my fault.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You better be fine by the time Cartman gather us,” Token warned them, he still looked pissed off, but the call of Nichole calmed him down, “get a drink or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The night passed as the club filled up regularly - most of those who arrived were of the age of boys. The ground floor was full of strangers, many arriving with the premise of drugs, drink, and music. The second floor was exclusively for guests, alcohol, and drugs were the constant. To try to keep both floors full, the three blondes invited many friends; however, some 'guests' were not comfortable in the place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kyle, I brought your ass here to relax not to keep working,” Stan was handing him a bottle of beer, “besides, I’ve seen Heidi over there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dude, I’ve already told you, I want to take this slow,” he took the bottle, “Are you gonna drink?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have some faith in your friend,” Sten winked at her when someone held his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Stan!” A fully recovered Kenny entered in the chat, “Oh, hello Kyle…” he held the ‘e’ for an unnecessary second, “Gotta be honest, I didn’t you were coming.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tweek invited us, he was so excited and told me to bring as many people as I could. When we arrived he brought us here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cool,” it wasn’t cool, “I hope you came with Wendy too,” no, he was begging the old gods to be the opposite, “Of course, she’s over there with Bebe, Red, and Heidi.” Kenny wanted to chew his fist, then scream as loud as he could, and punch Tweek in the face - although it wasn’t his fault.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Long time no see you, Kenny. How are you doing?” Kyle asked him politely, “Ike told me you were helping him and Karen with some stuff.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he kept pronouncing the s obnoxiously, “What about you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were chatting in a less stressful way - they even laughed a couple of times. Stan was smiling almost all the time, seeing his two friends having a good time cheered him up. Then, he looked at Wendy, she was talking with Bebe at a table, he really wanted to talk to her. They weren’t on the best terms so he used Kenny as an excuse to bring her to the group. “I’ll be back,” he said, rushing to Wendy’s place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenny felt quite comfortable around Kyle when a fat boy disrupted and popped the bubble,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit, who invited a jew cop to the party? Kenny?” he shouted angrily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Kenny answered, grinning his teeth, “I told Tweek to invite him and Stan, is there a problem with that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think so,” he offered Kenny a cigar, “Sorry officer, I don’t have cigars for jews.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck you,” Kyle tried to keep it cool.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just when the moment couldn’t be more awkward, Sten arrived with Wendy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “Hey, Wendy!” Cartman saluted her, his voice was obnoxious, “Hey, Stan. Where you gays have been?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenny looked at Wendy, she seemed very uncomfortable, she was staring at Cartman. He felt the tension among them - it wasn’t the tension Kyle and Cartman had - it was sexual tension. ‘No Fucking way,’ thought. He reminded a couple of times when Stan told him about the fear of losing Wendy, but this was too much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi, Eric,” Wendy broke the eye contact with him, “hi, Kenny.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Stan. How is the therapy going? Still a helpless drunk?” Cartman was smiling, hoping to grind Stan’s gears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not your problem,” Stan and Kyle answered at the same time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t be sure,” he winked at Wendy, “I’d like to stay here with you, gentlemen, but I’m afraid I was looking for Kenny,” he held Kenny’s arm, and whispered to his hear, “Gotta talk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walked away to the back wall, Kyle followed the with the gaze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stan, I’m not feeling good I’ll be in the bathroom.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened? Are you alright?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck did I say?” Wendy shouted annoyed, “I need a minute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stan was about to follow her when Kyle grabbed him by the arm, He turned his head glaring at him, “what!” He realized Kyle wasn’t paying attention to him, his eyes were focused on the back wall. Stan turned his gaze in curiosity. In the distance - among the people - a blonde boy was talking with Cartman. For some reason, that boy was familiar to Stan. Kyle got close to his ear and mumbled, “it’s him, it’s our man.” Stan nodded in disbelief. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“C’mon, we have to talk with him,” Kyle was about to head to the boy when he and Cartman entered the back room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kyle, we’re not on service. Besides, right now I have to save my marriage.” Stan headed to the bathroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, go on and save your relationship, but after that, we have to make some questions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fair enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenny entered the room that was specifically designed to host this kind of meeting. The table was in the middle of the room, some of the boys were already there, waiting for the rest of them. Over the table, there was a couple of glasses and whiskey, some cigarettes and cocaine - perhaps Cartman’s. In the back of the room, there were three suitcases.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenny took a seat next to Craig and Token, in front of them, there were Clyde, Cartman, and Sam. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I had some news,” Cartman took the lead of the conversation, “but I also want to set some things clear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cut the shit, Cartman,” Craig wasn’t too comfortable in the room, “why the hell are we here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First of all, the club thing,” Eric glanced at Kenny, “I don’t remember permitting you, but it was a clever move. Clyde will have control over this thing. Is there a problem?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No…” There was of course a fucking problem with it, but Kenny didn’t wanna fight for that, at least not there, “But he ain’t gonna have control over the crew.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fair enough,” Cartman smiled in triumph, “Next, we will use the storage from this place as warehouse, just for now.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” Token answered, although it wasn’t his business.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kenny and Clyde will come with me to see Don Carlino next Tuesday. Before that, we’re gonna need some protection, Craig?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The FBI ain’t gonna look for you, It will be safe. However,” Craig stopped talking, glancing to Eric, “I can’t stop the police.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, that lead us to one of the main points, the FBI-police cooperation. This isn’t official yet so, we have time to take care of.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you thinking?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have two options, we can fuck them and kill the cops in charge - which means kill Broflovski and his crew. Or we can kill the people in charge - which means kill some FBI guys and the chief of the police.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The silence filled the room, Craig was the only one who didn’t seem disturbed by Cartman’s plan. Token bent his head and held his face with his hands, trying to cover it. Kenny had his fingers on his forehead, which he massaged under stress, the that was holding the cigar was shaking. Clyde seemed disturbed and his eyes began to crystalize. Sam was moving in his seat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, what do you think?” Cartman asked, “who you hate the most?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I believe,” Token said slowly, standing up, “ THAT YOU’RE FUCKING INSANE!” he pointed his finger to Cartman, his body was shaking due to his anger. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shhh,” Kenny made him take a seat, “Calm down, I hate to say this, but Cartman’s right in one thing, we don’t much of an option here.” The boys looked at him, “But we don’t have to kill a lot of people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Explain yourself,” barked Craig, “I’m not following you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can distract them, for now,” Kenny tried to keep it cool, “you said that the police buy the shit about the bullets, we can use that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kenny, accept it, you don’t have a plan, and you don’t want to kill your friend. I understand you,” he said with a fake compassionate voice, “so, I believe we have only one option right? Unless someone wants to have one for the team.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Again the silence filled the room only the lonely sound of the creepy respiration of Cartman was audible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” Craig broke the silence, “who we need to kill?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your boss, the chief of the police, the attorney of the city, and Don Carlino,” Cartman said smoothly, “Of course we could use some of the ideas of Kenny.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait,” Token hit the table, “this can’t be serious, I don’t want to be part of any of this. I can’t”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want to take a bullet for the team then?” Cartman shouted clearly pissed, “Now sit the fuck down and listen. I only have a proto-plan, we’re gonna have another meeting. Before that, it’s payday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nobody dared to talk after that, without saying a single word they opened the suitcases filled with money. Kenny was about to get out of the room when Cartman held him for the umpteenth time in the night. He got closer to his left ear, “you better come out with a goddamn plan, otherwise, I’d have to kill your friends.” He released him and closed the door behind him.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“What time is it, dude?” Kenny asked holding his 12th Bloody Mary.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“2 am,” Craig growled, “I’m out, I’m gonna go home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Craig was about to stand up when Butters arrived at the table, he seemed to be worried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kenny? We had a problem,” he was brushing his fist, “I need you to take Tweek home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Craig looked at Butters, “what happened with Tweek?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s drunk and, well, he’s totally wasted Butters said sheepishly, he feared Craig, “I don’t know how it happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Craig turned his gazed back to Kenny, he was with only one eye open. “Well, I don’t think Kenny can help you. Let’s do this, I’ll take care of Tweek, and you’ll take care of Ken,” He smirked at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I don’t know where Kenny lives, I mean, here in the city.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Neither do I, he usually uses my place. Take him to your place,” He winked at him, “I bet you two will be fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They picked up Tweek and  Kenny and put them inside their cars.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Butters, call me when you arrive.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. After the party</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It seems I couldn't write for almost a month. Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>By the time Craig got home, Tweek was already asleep. Craig turned his face down because he feared he would die with his vomit, an unworthy way to die. He stopped the car and thought for almost a minute the best way to carry Tweek to his bed - he didn’t want to wake him up. He looked at his friend with amusement as the blonde growled, he couldn’t help laugh at the scene - pretty sure Tweek wasn’t someone that drinks too much. Usually - when he was in a party with his friends - he’d be as drunk as his friends, but now, he was grateful to not be in the mood for partying. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After five minutes of thinking, he resolved to open all the doors on his way to his bedroom and then come back for Tweek.  The trip came out to be harder than he expected. When he picked Tweek up - carrying him on a bridal style - Tweek jumped on Craig’s arms, making the dark-haired lost the equilibrium. The fall was not so hard or so painful  - in fact, it was just a momentary loss of balance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tweek grunted - at least that's what Craig heard - before he closed his eyes. The image of the ‘little’ blonde grunting due to the excess of alcohol on his system was both, concerning and adorable. Craig had never seen Tweek like this before. There was one single time when he picked him up from Kenny’s house. That time Tweek was too high to remember where he lived so, Craig walked alongside him, making sure he arrived at his home safe. The excess of talking - or maybe the lack of logical talk - almost drove Craig insane that time. He now remembered the situation with a smirk on his face. He wished Tweek would wake up and talk to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the trip to Craig’s bed was in silence - the house was too quiet for Craig’s standards. The lack of noise bothered him, which was ironic since he always complained with Kenny about it. When they finally arrived, Tweek opened his eyes. He was passing through the moment of clarity, some former alcoholics used to talk the moment when your brain recover its capacity to think logically. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Craig?” Tweek’s face showed concern, his eyes looked lost and distant, “what happened? Are we still in the club?” He began to move his head in any direction, scanning the room. His face faded as he returned to his first state.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re at my house, don’t worry about that.” Craig gave him a soft gaze, he wanted his friend to feel safe - he knew by a fact that being drunk in a different place wasn’t a pleasant experience. “How are you feeling?” He wasn’t expecting an answer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not sure dad, why are we here again?” Tweek seemed to be dazed and confused. “Did I get in trouble again?” Tweek’s eyes were giving a lost gaze to the darkness of the room. Craig looked at him worried. His friend was really wasted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come again?” Craig tried his best to bring the blonde to earth. “What you were talking about?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you dye your hair dad? Kinda look like Craig,” Tweek smiled after his comment, he raised his arm trying to reach Craig, but he was of course too far to even touch him, “you don’t look as cute as him tho.” He giggled like at his last statement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, thanks? I guess… “ Craig had a smirk from ear to ear, it was cute to see Tweek like this, but at the same time, he felt guilty for enjoyed Tweek’s hallucination. “It’s bedtime, you’ll be better tomorrow.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah…” Tweek closed his eyes, he never opened again that night.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig got out of his room for a minute to check his phone - waiting for Butter’s call. He was walking in circles in the living room, looking at the current mess his house was. The phone finally rang. He looked at the screen amazed, “Kenny?” he mumbled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“‘Sup dude! Why did you leave without saying goodbye?” The voice of Kenny was a little too much louder, Craig took his phone some inches away from his ear, “Just kidding, but seriously tho. Why did you leave?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tweek had a problem, so I took him to my place,” Craig said tired and bored - the sudden shock of energy from his friend made him feel sick. “I thought you were wasted or something. You didn’t seem alive back at the club.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was just the last part of the trip, I guess. The shit you gave me was quite strong.” Kenny said amused, Craig could hear the smile of the blonde. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What happened with Butters?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He was tired so, he fell asleep as soon as we got here. It is a nice place, not as nice as ours though.” He giggled at his comment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Our place?” Craig asked reluctantly yet amused by the comment. “How come?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon, I spend more time in your place than in mine besides, I had a lot of shit there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, I’m gonna sleep now cuz it was a long day.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After he hung up, Craig walked through his house. The first floor was pretty much the average floor of a house, living room, kitchen, and stuff. But it also had a separate room for his gymnasium - now inhabited by Kenny as a permanent roomer. Craig respected the personal space of Kenny - even tho it was his house - but he entered the room, which wasn’t much different from the rest of the house. Messy and a little unclean, the bed was a total mess. The floor had a mix of ropes, packs of condoms, and magazines - there was a particular magazine that caught Craig’s attention. It was a gay one. “You never change, huh Ken?” Craig thought. Despite his first thought, he thanked his friend for the magazine and he picked it up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He headed to his room again to check Tweek. When he entered the room, he saw the blonde struggling with the covers and his shoes. Craig watched him with amusement for a couple of minutes before helping him to get into the bed without his shoes. He noted that Tweek was using the converse that Craig gave him a couple of days ago. He smiled at the thought of how much Tweek liked Craig’s gifts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny’s night wasn’t as peaceful as Craig’s. After he arrived at Butters’s new apartment in the city he was ready to sleep the whole day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh geez, I forgot to call Craig, he was sick worried for you,” Butters said yawning. His tired expression begged Kenny to do it for him. Kenny looked at him - which was more a stare than a look - he stayed like that for a minute or so when he finally said, “Don’t worry ‘bout that. I’ll call him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Butters just smiled at him as an answer, he didn’t last long until he fell asleep. Kenny walked around the house, despite he told them about this place, he had never given a proper look to the place. It was a ‘lovely’ place, small in its own way and quite modern. The white walls have a perfect contrast with the dark furniture, probably one of Tweek’s ideas for the place. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he picked up his phone an incoming call erased the slight smile on his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The fuck you want, Cartman? I thought we were over for today,” Kenny was annoyed by the call, he never liked the ‘work calls, especially at one a.m. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure we did asshole, this is for a very different reason. Meet me tomorrow at three outside the deal house.” The voice of Cartman was dull and plain, it was scary to hear. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can’t tomorrow, family business,” Kenny answered drily, “besides, aren’t you spending the Sunday with Carlino?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not your business, and you better keep the hell away from them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What about eight? In the night of course.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine.” Cartman hung up the phone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny hated to meet with Cartman, his friendship was almost over. Kenny had considered Cartman an acquaintance more than a friend or a partner.  For the last three years, the man who just want to accomplish a dream and help his friend had turned into a monster. Not that Eric was a good person, but he was at least a good friend - a reliable friend.  Everything changed once he had power  - no man couldn’t resist the feel of power.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His vision was blurry and his eyelids felt heavier with every single second. He was about to fell asleep on the closest couch when he remembered to call Craig. He wasn’t in the condition to hold a conversation so, he approached the kitchen - he knew Tweek long enough to know there will be energy drinks on the fridge.  He certainly found a couple of them along with a half-empty bottle of vodka. He was already drunk besides, he couldn’t care less if he died right there from ethyl poisoning. But it wasn’t his house and his shit wasn’t in order - yet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The final solution was adding coffee to the drink - just in case the drink wasn’t strong enough. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The call was short and sort of lame. It hadn’t justified his efforts to make him feel awake. Despite that, he couldn’t blame Craig for his attitude in the call. They all had had a crappy night, a terrible night. His mind recalled his need for finding a plan, the plan. His stomach began to ache, to make weird turns making him feel sick. None of the options were good options, how could a man make such a difficult yet tricky choice? He wasn’t a cinema lover, but the situations reminded him of Sophie’s choice… What child should live? Who deserved to live? He had killed before - a lot of people tended to see him as cold blood killer, but he hated to kill. He had done it for very specific situations. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He walked outside the house to the backyard, the house was quite big for its price, and its location. The darkness of the night felt comfortable, being far from his problems just for a second was everything for Kenny. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Quite a night to be alone, don’t ya think?” A lonely voice broke the silence, the echo made Kenny tremble. His voice has changed so much over the years. Most of the people always kept a part of his voice over the years, but Kenny had lost it all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is a beautiful night indeed. Why are you alone on such a night like this?” A soft voice muttered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny turned his head to see his interlocutor, the blurry shade of the man was the only thing he could distinguish, he wasn’t sure if the man was Butters or someone else.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon, nobody should be alone. Especially you…” again, the man said softly, but just a little bit louder than before, “come with me, Ken.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought you were sleeping, Leo.” That was the way he called his closest friend, it was just for them. “What made you wake up?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Instinct?” Butters approached Kenny, smiling at his friend, “seriously tho, everybody needs someone to spend a night like this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny kept his gaze on Butters face, he nodded slightly as the blonde sat down over the dry grass. The silence was a comfortable one, both of the boys had their eyes on the sky, looking at the few visible stars.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I haven’t told you thanks,” Butters whispered, “you’ve done so much for Tweek and me.” A moment of silence followed the statement. Only the slight sound of their breathing was barely audible - Kenny usually tended to breathe a bit louder since he used his orange parka. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a minute of silence, Kenny turned his head to see Butters, “you don’t need to say thanks, I should be the one saying thanks for helping my family, back then.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon, I didn’t do anything like this. You helped me to achieve my dream,” Butters began to blush as he turned his face to the sky and back to Kenny’s. “You can’t imagine of grateful I am.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Leo…” Kenny thought his words carefully, a part of him wanted to tell him of did he feel. The other side knew that he shouldn’t do that. “Leo… I…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Butters got closer to Kenny, he felt his essence. The slight smell of alcohol was noticeable for Kenny. A thought hit him like a train, Butters was drunk, and everything that would happen tonight would never happen again. He wouldn’t remember the next morning. He just let it be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Butters raised his hand touching Kenny’s cheek gently while he leaned at him. He tilted his head to Kenny's face - feeling his breath. He raised his head to make eye contact. The sky blue eyes of him met the light honey eyes of Kenny. His lips finally touched, both closed his eyes as soon as they felt each other’s lips. For just a second the whole world stopped around them, just for one second Kenny recovered his soul and fill his heart with a warm feeling. Butters was just as amazed as Kenny, his inner desires had been accomplished.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny was the first to back to reality, he cut the moment as fast as it started, he just whispered, “We should go inside.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig went back to his room, he couldn’t help but kept staring at Tweek sleeping. He just leaned next to him and closed his eyes...</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Most of the coffee shops in Denver were just average ones. Usually, Sunday mornings were slow for them. After all, who in his right mind would want to be outside at 8 am on a Sunday? Clyde wasn’t that kind of boy, but he felt more comfortable in the mornings. Last night he had made contact with Bebe after 5 years of knowing nothing about each other. He was well aware of the reasons that took her away from him. He still remembered the day she told him it was over. That day he made a promise to change his life, a promise he was afraid he couldn’t fulfill.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he thought about his past, he couldn’t help stopping in his mother. He missed her so much, but at the same time, he hated to think about it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was sitting at the farthest table he found inside the coffee shop. Holding his cup of coffee in one hand, and a cigarette in the other, he was waiting for Bebe.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The door opened for the first time in almost an hour, a tall blonde girl with curly hair entered. She was wearing a simple red jacket and tight dark jeans, carrying a small purse in her left hand. Her walk was hurried - her attitude denoted that she was in a hurry. Once she was inside the shop, she looked around her looking for Clyde.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Clyde was between raising his hand to indicate Bebe where he was or hiding under the table. He has a lot of self-confidence, but the idea to face Bebe and all his broken promises. Before he made a resolution Bebe was heading towards him, she seemed to be a little upset with the place of the meeting. From all the places in Denver Clyde had chosen the same place she cut with him. It wasn’t planned, he hadn’t realized that until he was inside the shop. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as she got on the table he rushed to put out his cigarette.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bebe sat down in front of Clyde with grace - she offered a pale smile before the waiter arrived with a cup of coffee. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re looking good,” Clyde tried to break the ice, he wasn’t a fanatic of small talk. “How are things going?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, thanks for asking…” Bebe felt uneasy in the place, she felt like Clyde was about to tell all the things he had accomplished after she left. In his mind, the reason why he chose this place was for some evil deed. “I’m sorry, ok?” She couldn’t take it anymore, the tension around them - at least the tension she felt - was killing her.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Clyde looked like an idiot, he turned his gaze looking for something she could have done, did she kick him? Perhaps he didn’t realize. Maybe she said something, but he wasn’t paying attention. “What? Why did you say that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please, Clyde, Don’t do that…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now was Clyde the one who felt uneasy, did something happen? He was fully aware of his intellect, according to his friends he wasn’t a smart dude, but at least he was focused on the details around him, something he learned with Cartman.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Bebe, but I’m not sure I’m following you,” he held his breath trying to think about it, then the moment of illumination came, “If it is for the place, I really didn’t notice ‘til I arrived. A friend of mine told me it was a good place on Sundays…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bebe stared at him for a couple of seconds, his expression was nothing but surprised. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then she bursted into laughs, louder and a little annoying laughs. The only person who was near them -  a pale black-haired boy -  looked at them pissed off, he seemed familiar to Clyde. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bebe’s laugh was always contagious, in just a matter of seconds, Clyde was laughing with her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Clyde asked between laughs, “Wh - what’s … What’s so … funny?” For some odd reason, he felt as uneasy as he was before. “What did I do?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, I just,” she was fighting hard to keep calm, her chest began to ache, “I’m just an idiot, I thought you want to remind me that I was a bitch.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t see what’s the funny part of that… Besides, what would I do that?” Clyde felt that part of his stress went out, “I just want to catch up with you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t mind that, Cly.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His stomach made a twist as his body thrilled, Bebe was the only one who had kept calling like that after high school. “Alright…” he said almost as a whisper, his mind was now floating in an empty space.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How did you get into the party yesterday?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I own the club.” Clyde’s answer was quick, he was waiting for this question to show Bebe he had a new life, even though it was a lie.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really? Clyde that’s amazing! I know you could achieve things like that…” Bebe smiled at him, but his smile quickly faded. “Did I say sorry?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon, I don’t blame you for that, you were a hundred percent right about it. I would never forgive me if something would have happened to you.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bebe felt uncomfortable by the comment. Clyde’s face was plain and it only made her feel even worse. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, I was planning to make a lot of things before we reached this point, but I just can’t do it. I don’t want to lie to you. I love you, Bebe, I’ve never stopped to do it. I…” There has been a decent amount of years since the last time Clyde has cried in front of someone. The tough treatment of Eric and the people from the mob had turned him into a tough guy. He was shocked when he felt a lonely tear passing by his cheek.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Clyde?” Bebe was concerned not only for his ex, she was deeply concerned about her security, maybe she should have doubted Clyde.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bebe, I’m not just a criminal… I’m part of a criminal family, I…” his phone rang. His face turned pale, and any expression erased from his face. He checked the incoming call, he was quite sure it was something else.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you ok, Clyde?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> “Would you like to walk a little bit?” Clyde avoided the question - at least that moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bebe nodded in response, the sudden chain of events had shocked her - to be fair, everyone would be like that. They both picked up their stuff and got out of the building. Clyde noticed again the thin boy black-haired boy, his gaze was over them. As soon as Clyde made eye contact, he broke it and turned his attention back to an old book.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They had been walking for almost fifteen minutes when Clyde spoke again - he didn’t seem to be the over self-confident boy anymore. His palms were sweaty, and he was on verge of stuttering. Bebe wasn’t a very perceptive person - as a matter of fact, she wasn’t any good with that. But it was different with Clyde, she could tell what was wrong with him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve never stopped to do that kind of stuff you know? I’m not glad to say this, but you deserve to know the truth.” Clyda was avoiding any kind of contact with her, he distracted himself by playing with his sweaty fingers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I…” Bebe couldn’t connect two ideas, she was surprised by the honesty of him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m always trying to change all of this because I want to be with you again.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She stopped walking and held his arm, Clyde also stopped with a strange movement. She stared at his brown eyes, Clyde wasn’t the most good-looking man over the earth, but there was something about him Bebe found charming. Back in the days of high school, Clyde had something in his eyes, a special bright reserved only for her. Years of murdering had changed that, Bebe couldn’t find it the last night, but now she could see the tormented soul of Clyde. She saw his inner desire to escape from his life. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She gave him a soft smile and said calmly, “Clyde, I still love you too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t need to hear anything else, he gently leaned toward her, raising his right hand holding Bebe’s chin. He had been waiting years for kissing her again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Back to the shop, a tall girl with strawberry blonde hair entered. She was wearing sportswear - her face was slightly red. The girl had the good habit of running in the mornings. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The black-haired boy followed her with the gaze, they were supposed to meet at the coffee shop - despite that, he didn’t even try to call his attention or at least text her to let her know he was there. She didn’t seem to be upset or annoyed for his attitude - she was used to it. She sat in the empty chair in front of him without saying a single hi. She liked the routine both of them shared, none of them was good with words. They remained in silence for almost ten minutes - being broken only for the sound of her drinking her beverage - until he finally broke the comfortable silence. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought you would arrive with Karen…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon,” she almost spitted his drink over the boy’s face, “Don’t make me laugh, she’s never been a morning girl.” She seemed to be amused by the thought of their friend benign awake on a Sunday morning. “Besides, she was partying yesterday with Ike. Perhaps they have a huge hangover.” She smiled at his comment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s still a funny meeting, don’t ya think? Without the love conformist shit from them.” Firkle said. He was right, in the last year the couple had become a little annoying, they were flirting and talking too much about their relationship. There had been a decent amount of years since they had started dating, but the fact that they were living together changed the group of friends.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah…” Tricia hated to admit that. Karen was by far her best friend, “They just need space, I bet they’ll end either married or separated.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Firkle laughed at the comment, he knew Ike long enough to know he’d rather die before separated from Karen. He checked his drink - black coffee - and he realized it was empty. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Want something?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I’m not finished with mine,” she pointed at his drink, “But it’ll be amazing to eat something.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cool.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> As it was set before, both of them were quite inexpressive. Tricia used to be a very talkative person until they got into middle school. Firkle on the other hand was a goth kid until he met Karen. She was skeptical towards the ways of the goths, she even dared to question the non-conformist practices they usually did. ‘If you’re all non-conformist, why are you son conformable with your rules?’, ‘why do you have all these rules if you don’t care so much?’ ‘Why do you care so much about these things?’ She was right, they were everything but non-conformist nihilistic boys. She soon stopped to hang up with them, so did him. She found Karen so interesting that they became friends in no time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They become a group of three, Tricia was the cool yet tough kid,  Karen was the shy one, and Firkle was the goth. It was in middle school when they met Ike Broflovski, the so-called gifted child. Tricia was the first to break the ice with him. He was a year younger than her - a year and a half older than Karen. He was the nerd gamer boy, he fitted almost instantly on his group.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Recalling this kind of memory was strange for the two of them Tricia had grown with Karen since first grade so, it was a little hard to lost the touch with her. Firkle and Ike didn’t share a close bond, but they called each other best friends - Firkle always saw Ike as a model to face the shitty world. They both were single, Firkle didn’t want to be with anything that could nag him. Tricia had long ago faced his sexuality coming out while she was in college, it turned to be a hard quest to find girls interested in her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That’s why they both kept hanging out in some place, sometimes in a coffee shop, sometimes in his place, sometimes in her place. There was no need of talking, the mere company was good enough for them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m gonna call her,” Tricia thought out loud.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good,” Firkle answer drily, he was teasing her - in his very own way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Perhaps we could hang out later, don’t ya think? It could be fun.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pretty sure she had plans for today.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you think so?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Check your calendar.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>One Sunday a month, the McCormick’s ‘kids’ went to visit her mother in the prison, and occasionally did the same for his father. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, shit. Is it this Sunday?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Firkle nodded in response.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, what about you? Do you want to do something? Perhaps we could go to a movie or something.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah… sounds good enough.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They finished their respective food before they walk away from the place.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Kenny waited ‘til Butters was fully asleep. The thoughts on his head were rushing. He was pretty sure that what happened was just a result of alcohol. Once he was sure it was safe to get out of the house, he walked to Craig’s. His car was there anyways. The trip was quite confusing for him, on the one hand, he was facing the early stages of a hangover, his head was turning around. On the other hand, his mind was a total mess, his thoughts were far away from the real world. He made quick stops to drink water or throw up - he hated to be in that condition, but at the same time reminded him how miserable he could be. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By six of the morning, he finally reached his objective. Craig’s place wasn’t too far from the boys, but taking into account the condition of Kenny, it was a fucking miracle. Kenny wasn’t good with keys, they usually got lost in record times, the only keys he never lost were from his apartment, his Torino, and the safe box. Knowing this, Craig added a modern door’s lock, which could be opened with a password or pin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he was in the house, he headed straight to his room - the room he had taken possession of for an unlimited time. He looked up for his car keys, the car he liked the less - an old green Toyota corolla. Dispute he wanted to get out as fast as he got in, he was deadly curious about the situation between Craig and Tweek. He sneaked into Craig’s room to see that they were both in the same bed and although Craig was still wearing pants and a shirt, Tweek was in pajamas, thanks to Craig - he thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He got into his car, knowing well the day he had ahead.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. So it began.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Relevant things are ahead.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ike Broflovski was a good boy - there was no doubt about it. Anyone that had known him could say that. He had a special aura that instilled confidence in those around him. Even when he acted like a dork, blind to so many things around him, it was almost impossible to be mad at him. His closest friends mocked him because of that. Finding friends was, at first sight, impossible. He spent the whole elementary alone - with some occasional friend here and there. Perhaps it was because of his age, being the younger kid in the class was never easy - at least it was like that for him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The only friend who was constant in her life was Karen McCormick, and actually, she wasn't sure at times if she should call her that. He only saw her because of the friendship that Kyle and Kenny held at the time. So, it was always an incipient friendship. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t until middle school that he felt like a part of something. Most of the time, he was the lonely kid on the playground. Even when Karen was a sort of a friend, she never seemed to be too close. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In seventh grade, he met Tricia at lunchtime. She was quite noticeable - being one of the tallest kids was always a way to be noticed. She was wearing an old blue jacket which was something familiar to him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“‘Sup, dude! You’re the new kid on the block?” Tricia asked him, trying to break the ice, “I’ve never seen you before.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, well, someone thought it was a good idea to move me from class A to class B,” he said shyly, he wasn’t sure why the girl wanted to talk with him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And… Was it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The idea, was it a good one?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not convinced yet - it’s too soon to say something. Don’t ya think?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I like your style, do you wanna come with me to my friend’s table?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“OK.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as he approached the girl’s table he recognized Karen. It had been a while since they both spent some time together. She had dyed his hair, her once dirty blonde hair was then black with a pink lock. He didn’t realize it, but he was staring at her like a dork. Only a hit from Tricia brought him back to earth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was telling you, I’m Tricia, the goth-ish yet good-looking girl right there is Karen, and the fella over here is Firkle.” Karen waved at with an ear-to-ear smirk - she had tried to talk Ike early. Firkle only gave him a dull smile - the boy was focused on his before they arrived. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi, Ike!” Karen shouted a little too loud - Firkle glared at her, “Nice to see ya ‘round here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“H-Hi Karen.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you guys know each other?” asked Tricia in disbelief, “Kare? How come you’ve never introduced him to us! How many secrets did you have on my back?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon Trish,” Karen didn’t follow her on the game, “y’all know Ike, he’s like a celebrity on the principal office.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bullshit,” muttered Tricia loud enough.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ehm… Guys, I’m still here you know?” Ike tried his best not to sound awkward.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry, dude. You can sit next to Karen.” Tricia gave him a warm smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Since that awkward moment at lunch, they’d become an iconic group. Ike was eleven back then. It’s funny how you heard a lot of rumors when you met someone new. The boys rapidly heard the juiciest rumors of his new friend. ‘Did you hear about Ike Broflovski? They say he’s worse than the McCormick dude.’ ‘Have you heard of the Broflovski brother? He’d gotten a bj for that girl.’ For them, it was kind of funny to listen to that stories, Ike was younger than any of them so, the mere fact of him having any sexual experience was unexpected.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You guys don’t believe that right?” Ike asked a cold morning of October.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Which part?” Firkle said drily, “The blowjob part of the McCormick part?” The last comment made Karen giggle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You sure don’t have the typical face of a virgin - like your brother. But you can’t be like Kenny.” Tricia pointed matter-of-factly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I like my brother, but you don’t look like him. I mean you don’t seem to be charming,” she kept his mouth open as she processed what she just said, “I mean, you’re not bad, you’re kinda hot… I mean…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Chill dude, words are your enemy,” Tricia patted her back, “I believe we all get your point.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It would have been funny to see tho.”Firkle smirked at Karen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ike didn’t say anything, but he was glad his friends didn’t give a damn about it. They like him just the way he was. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As a matter of fact, he was quite similar to  Kenny. He had a plenty number of sexual experiences, one of the most infamous happened on his 12th birthday. A girl called Samantha Collins wanted to give him a ‘special gift’ after he helped her to pass all her tests. He committed the mistake of sealing the deal on his house and not hers. The outcome was of course predictable - Ike always said that he never saw that face from his mother ever before. What happened next isn’t worth recalling, he ended up grounded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was about midnight when a sudden noise made him get up from his bed - he was playing in his old PSVita since her mother took all his video games. He got closer to see outside his window, he smiled at the figure of his friend Karen. He peered through the sale, which he opened very carefully, to get a better view. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kare? What are you doing?” Ike was surprised to see any of his friends, he couldn’t even text them to cancel their little party at Tricia’s. He felt guilty for that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let me in, it’s cold as fuck,” she waited for Ike’s response which was only limited to a strange move, “Goddammit, Ike! At least throw your bedsheets.” Again Ike looked at her with a confused face. He stepped away from the window. Karen was almost sure he was angry with her, perhaps she shouldn’t have reacted like that. She was about to give up when someone peeked up the front door. She was ready to make up a credible story for Mrs. Broflovski.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mere Kare, I might be grounded,  but I ain’t gonna let you enter through my window.” Ike had a smirk from ear to ear. Karen on the other side only managed to exhale harder than usual.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut! I thought you were your mother. I was ready to either run or face her,” she admitted sheepishly, “So, can we enter?” Ike nodded in approval.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Karen had been there before - nothing had changed on the first floor. In Ike’s room, everything was different. The boy used to have a shell for his beloved legos alongside his games. Now it was filled with an insane amount of books, he had another shell reserved for his games and a table for his legos. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You had changed a lot, huh? I like it more.” She smiled at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, it’s okay I guess. I was reluctant to move these,” he picked a lego car, “Dad insisted to pack them in boxes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Karen was still looking around the room when she stared at the PSVita in Ike’s bed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dude, no way! You had one of these?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep, It was hard to get one back when they were popular. Anyways, you haven’t told me yet the reason for the midnight visit…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh yes, you see. The boys got  a little angry when you never appeared, and didn’t even let us know what happened,” she stared at him emphasizing the last part, “What happened to you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, well…” he played with his fingers, keeping his gaze on the floor, “Well…” he felt uncomfortable talking about his sexual life. A couple of months ago Kyle found his small collection of porn, since then he avoided any kind of confrontation about it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well… ?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“ Do you know Samantha Collins?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The girl from sophomore? She’s quite famous.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, we made a deal to help her in her tests, today seemed to be the payday.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So what? Did your mother didn’t accept you to make that kind of thing?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“See… It wasn’t a regular agreement, “ he felt the accusatory look of his friend, “Fine!, she gave me a bj in exchange.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Karen raised his eyebrows as an answer, then she burst into a quiet laugh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s so funny?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did your mother catch you WITH THE PANTS DOWN?” she tried hard to be as quiet as possible, “Dude, I’d pay to see that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ike didn’t answer, he felt his face was burning in shame. They waited five minutes - time given to Karen to compose herself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, you THAT part, why are you here if you were mad at me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t say that, I said THEY were mad. I knew you were grounded or something,” she smiled, “Anyways, I picked up some cans of soda and also brought you a cake, well, more like cupcakes, but you’ve got the idea.” she picked up his backpack to take out four cans of Coke, a bunch of candies and chocolates. Then she picked up a small box. “I asked Kenny for Tweek’s help with these,” she held two cupcakes, “you’ll love these, Tweek knows how to make good shit.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It didn’t sound good.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up. So, birthday boy here’s your cake and your party,” she smiled at him, “Hold up, I have a candle too.” She looked up in her pocket for the candle, in just a matter of seconds she was holding a candle and a lighter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a couple of minutes of eating in silence, Karen stood up to hug Ike as she whispered in his ear “happy birthday Ikey.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ike was with an empty mind - the thoughts came and went. He let his brain roam through his memories and random ideas. He found fall asleep a very hard task to fulfill. He was in his “bachelor” apartment. He has been living there for almost a year, and it had been a couple of months since he lived with his girlfriend. The party on Saturday night was over and despite none of them drank too much, they didn’t deal well with alcohol. When they arrived the mood changed completely, both had some sexual tension to ease, after the third match she fell asleep. Ike laughed at the thought, Karen could be shy at times, but she was a different person in the room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked around his bedroom, beside him was a fully naked Karen who was sleeping peacefully. In front of him was his TV, Ike really loved TV.  His gaze halted in the curtain which was penetrated by the sunlight. How did they manage to keep themselves awake ‘till the morning? How did that even happen? He tried to sneak out of the bed and walked to the kitchen for a decent cup of coffee. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he walked through his house, he noticed the clothes on the way to the bedroom - they arrived at the room almost naked. His head started to ache awfully when he sat on his couch. He was wearing his favorite robe - the one with a maple leaf in the back. He was ready to go back to bed and fell asleep.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny was amazingly good on the wheels when he was drunk. Something he found out a couple of years ago in South Park - he wasn’t proud of that, tho.  He tried his best to keep himself alert while he was driving due to his current conditions. The lack of sleep, the hangover, and the sequels of the smack didn’t mix well. It was fair to say that Kenny was totally fucked up, he still stopped his car a fair amount of times to throw up. He chose to go to Karen’s - it was part of his schedule anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The clock on the car read nine of the morning - Kenny had chosen not to turn on the radio and avoid any kind of noise. Karen lived in a fancy apartment building near to the downtown, the street usually was empty on Sundays so Kenny decided to wait a couple of minutes in front of the house. He looked at the third floor - where Ike and Karen lived. He felt dizzy and the sunlight didn’t help to feel any better. He finally decided to call her - he couldn’t take it anymore - he really needed a rest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi! This is Karen’s voicemail, I might be really busy right now, so leave your message and I’ll answer right away.” Kenny was upset - he didn’t have a valid reason, so he decided to calm down.  “I’ll better call him.”  Kenny looked at his contract list for Ike, he was hoping to be luckier this time. Again no response.  He resolved to enter the building and make the gate guard call them. He was relying on the guard to recognize him in his current state. “Let’s hope for the best.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny fixed his hair the best he can and took out the dirty coat. It could be worse, he thought. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Karen was fighting hard not to fall asleep again when the intercom began to ring. She really wasn’t in the mood for doing anything. Again the noisy ring nagged her - she was getting out of nerves. Who would be so early on a Sunday morning? The third ring was enough, but before she stood up, someone else picked the call. She heard Ike saying, “Yeah, yeah, let him in.” Amazing, she thought. Now she had to stand up and get dressed - on a fracking Sunday morning! She thought about the mysterious visitor, perhaps was some Ike customer - someone who really needed his shit on a Sunday morning. The next person she thought was Tricia -  maybe they planned to hang out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon, Kare! Ken is here, he should arrive at any moment.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ken?” Was he talking about some random Ken? Maybe he was talking about Kenny, but they weren’t supposed to meet until midday. It can’t be that late. Once the last thought was installed in her mind, she rushed through the room for clothes. She picked up some old tight shorts and a baggy shirt with a catchy phrase on it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The knock of the door took all his attention, so she ran to the door. Karen wasn’t expecting to see his brother in such a painful state. He looked like one of those homeless on the streets. His hair was a total mess - there were some sticks on it. He had bags in the eyes and his face accused him of using drugs. After all, anyone who had grown up with drug addicts could tell when someone had used it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kenny? What the heck? What happened to your hair? Your face? Look at your clothes!” She sounded worried, she had spoken so hard Ike rushed to the drawing-room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Karen what - Ken!?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny only raised his hand apologetically, he leaned to Karen’s ear to whisper, “I really need your bathroom and a shower.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shit! Come in!” Karen tried her best to keep herself calm. She couldn’t remember the last time she saw her brother like that. Kenny had been careful in trying not to show like that in front of his sister - having to see their parents like that every week was bad enough. She looked at his boyfriend in despair - looking for some explanation. Ike looked as concerned as she.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny managed to walk for a couple of seconds before he fainted. Ike reacted fast enough to avoid Kenny from kissing on the hard floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shit! He’s wasted,” Karen was trembling with fear, “Help me to take him to the bathroom.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bathroom? Are you crazy? He needs assistance.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ike, trust me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He held Kenny up as hard as he could. He gave a gaze to Karen to let her know he would take care of him. She stood up to get the bathroom ready.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Kenny finally opened his eyes he saw his sister preparing the bathtub. He was in a warm robe.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Kare,” he muttered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t hey me, what the heck was that? Do you have any idea how worried we were? ”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks, I bet he wanted to take me to the hospital or something.” He smirked at his comment and then he looked at Karen. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not funny!” she tried to hide his slight smile - in most of the cases, Ike was always dramatic and tended to overreact. “What happened? No bullshit.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I…” He didn’t want to tell his sister he was on smack, “I drank a lot yesterday and didn’t sleep.” Half-truth should seal the deal.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah? Kenny, I’ve seen drunk people plenty of times to know the difference between alcohol and drugs,” she really cared about him. “What happened?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stood up and gently held her chin, “I’ll tell you later, I promise. I need to talk to Ike.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She nodded and got out of the room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny was about to fall asleep in the bathtub when Ike entered. He wasn’t wearing a robe anymore - he was fully dressed, ready to make a quick trip. Kenny noticed the formality of his clothes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Going somewhere? On a beautiful Sunday morning?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s almost noon, and yes, I’m going out. I thought Karen told you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny remained in silence for a while. His resolution was not to give a fuck, not right now. “Cool, I need a favor. I need you to use your magical powers on the net and lookup for someone,” he stared at Ike’s eyes, letting him know the seriousness of the matter. “And I also have an advice for you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ike got closer until Kenny broke the silence again, “Close the door please.” He was staring at him like he was a strange creature. Kenny realized that almost immediately.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry for the sudden visit, but I really need your help right now,” he stopped to recover his breath, “I need you to find someone, name, direction… anything you could find.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe you should check Facebook or something, you know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know what I mean. It’s really important.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Andres Cortez.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ike looked at him - the name was somewhat familiar. He knew that Kenny was on risky business - people know what they need to know, said Kenny. That small voice in his mind told him not to ask questions. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s a politician, Don’t mind that.” Kenny seemed so easy and calm - Ike couldn’t help but feel the same. “Which leads me to the advice. You need to stop doing this kind of thing. You might not know your clients, but the police do. We are under the lent; we need to be careful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ike blinked a couple of times, was Kenny being serious about it? Can he risk that much? The knock on the door shattered his thoughts as he heard the voice of Karen, “C’mon, I need to talk with Kenny.” He nodded foolishly, thinking Karen would acknowledge his gesture. “Open the door. This is important.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ike came out of the bathroom in silence, his face was emotionless. Karen didn’t notice it - instead, she rushed into the bathroom to talk with his brother. She closed the door and said in whispers, “He’s gonna come with us.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny gazed at her, he didn’t say anything, he asked her to keep talking with a gesture of his hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ve been talking about it lately, and we think we want to take the next step.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Have you talked with Kevin about this?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wanted to talk with you first, he got kinda protective with the matter.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t blame him for that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Perhaps you should talk with mom and Kevin about this? We’re going together anyway.” He sighed, “Then, we’ll talk.” He gave her a warm smile.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Wendy Marsh - Testaburguer if you want - was having a hard time. Every Sunday she found a way to hang out with him. She wasn’t comfortable with the relationship they were holding. She tried her best to avoid his obnoxious look, his overkill gestures, and his charming aura. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So,” He spitted out, “I saw yesterday you were having problems in paradise, huh?” Even the way he teased her was irresistible. She didn’t like him, but he was a drug and she couldn’t get enough of it. “It was so lame but so funny to see. I bet ten bucks he’s under a spell … Poor bastard of Stan.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s why you wanted to see me? To mock on Stan? You’re so pathetic.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Look honey, I didn’t call in the morning asking for a quick meeting. Do I?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was right, lately, she was the one that always made up an excuse to hang out. She hated to think about it. She was losing her shit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Look, I’ve already told you not to do this if you’re looking for a shoulder to cry. Unless you’re looking for a man to fill the gap of Stan.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Eric, stop it!” She shouted, trying to sound offended by the comment. But deep inside her, she knew he was spitting true. “I’m not gonna cheat him with you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What about the asshole in the court? What was his name? Gregory?” He picked a cigarette from his pocket, “I bet your clothes won’t last that much on you if you had the chance.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up! I don’t need this,” she cried, she didn’t want to hear all her sins. She wasn’t ready to face the truth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you wouldn’t want to hear it, you wouldn’t have called. “ he was getting good at reading her. For him, it was good practice to improve his technique. Wendy used to be a hard puzzle to solve, layers and layers of fake emotions made her impossible. But that had long ago over.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve gotta go,” she said drily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good for me,” he looked at his clock, “I’m also under schedule.” Before  Wendy realized it, he grabbed her by the arm and pushed into a kiss. He whispered, “Think about it, you know it’s true.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She just walked away as fast as she could from the place, Eric watched her leave. He was amused with the reactions of Wendy. He also knew his plan was on the way. He checked his phone for a second time, he was waiting for Kenny’s call.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, his phone rang, “About fucking time! What took you so long?” Eric shouted as soon as he answered the call, He wasn’t mad at all, but he wanted to be sure to control everyone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry dude, I’ve told ya I’d be busy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not an excuse, I don’t give a damn about the shit you do. Do you have what I want?” he tried his best to sound calm, but he was a nervous wreck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah. Where?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Meet me at Hippo Club in an hour, wear a suit.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cool.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cartman needed to fulfill the job in the night. His whole plan relied on the success of his enterprise in the night. He got into his car and rushed to his house to pick up a decent suit. He stopped at the mirror for a minute. He looked at him, his whole body expelled an aura of power, even when he looked sorry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny was already on the club, looking at the girls around him with his gaze lost in the smoke and darkness of the place. He was wearing an ugly ceil blue suit, which was very bright for Cartman’s taste. He walked towards him, he looked around to make sure they were safe. Eric was wearing a black suit with a white shirt and a red tie. He felt ashamed to be next to Kenny and his awful outfit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why did you come with that ugly shit? I told you to come with a suit.” Eric whispered angrily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wasn’t at Craig’s, it was the only suit I had at Karen’s,” Kenny said calmly, “It’s the best I can do.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They remained in silence, Kenny picked up his glass on the table. He seemed so calm that Eric felt utterly uncomfortable around him. He was close to biting, his fingers, he was really anxious. His whole plan started with this single act.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You have the things?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny nodded, he showed him a briefcase. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s go then.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenny wasn’t expecting to take a ride in an Audi - Cartman told it was totally necessary. He knew by heart it was something necessary for Cartman to drive his favorite car with someone else.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You said we should head to Cherry Creek, what’s next?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We should go to the third house on the left,” Kenny pointed to the house, “There’s a party right now, some big fishes are there right now.” He wanted to point to the last statement. The affair was way more complicated than it looked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can you find any information about our boy? Something he could be blamed for?” Cartman sounded impatient.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well… He has some sort of connection with a gang member or Denver. They were supposed to be involved with the meth business.” Kenny looked at his few papers, “there’s also an attorney there, he was on my parent’s trial. They seem to be close.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I like it,” Cartman didn’t try to hide his smile. “I think the best we could do now is wait…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you insane? They’re gonna suspect!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Chill, dude. They’re not gonna suspect. They’re just gonna think we’re just other rich assholes in the street.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s bullshit.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, but it’s true.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The waiting was shorter than they expected. His prey was drunk - he walked through the front of the house. Kenny was now the anxious one, he felt sick. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Remember, we should follow him ‘til we’re far enough from here and make it look like a gang thing. Got it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah…” Kenny’s whisper was barely audible. He wanted to throw up and run the hell out of there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cartman’s eyes were focused on the man outside the house. His eyes were filled with anger and greed. He didn’t notice Kenny’s attitude. He barked, “It’s our moment.” He turned on the engine ready to follow him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As they followed him, Cartman said, “So, do you think they will bite the trap? I mean, will the police think it was gang shit?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I hope so…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cartman raised his hand asking him to shut up. His gaze was again on the man outside. He seemed to be walking to the emptiest side of the zone. Cartman was astonished, “The fuck he’s doing?” He pointed at the man.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t know, but we better take advantage of the situation.” He picked up his gun and got out of the car. He wanted to finish it as soon as possible. Cartman followed him, rushing through the street to catch Kenny. He soon was side by side with him in front of a drunk yet scared dude.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hola,” said Kenny in perfect Spanish, “¿qué pasa? ¿Hablas español?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shook his head in response, then he said, “No mucho bueno.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What happened? Why are you here?” Cartman asked bitterly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Some-Someone is trying to take me down,” he said, muttering, “I think is  that Cornwall dude from the prosecutor's office.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Something about drugs.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cartman was surprised he confused everything, then he saw Kenny holding the gun in front of the man. For a moment he felt sorry for him, but then again, it was just the beginning. He held his gun too in front of him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Too fucking bad, He wasn’t the only one.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please I had…” Kenny cut the phrase with a clean shot on the head, Cartman reacted with the shot and began to do it,  until he was out of bullets in the gun. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dude! The fuck was that!?” Cartman shouted, “I wasn’t over with him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I was. Don’t like it?” Kenny answered with cold blood, he turned his face to face him. Due to the height difference, Cartman felt a bit intimidated. He was at disadvantage, his gun had run out of ammo - he wasn’t even carrying his knife. “I did my part so, fuck you.” Kenny walked away into the dense wood.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cartman only breathed in relief, he swore he would never be at disadvantage again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>**</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tweek jumped out the bed when he woke up in the morning. The first thing he saw was a sleepy Craig. His screams of panic were enough to wake up a whole company in the army. Craig opened his eye to see what was happening -  his brain took its time to recall the whole situation. Craig was staring at the blonde boy who was absolutely frightened, he was looking around the room and then he realized he wasn’t in the same clothes. Craig’s brain finally woke up and he was ready to explain the whole situation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tweek,” he asked him to calm down with a gesture, “Calm down, I’ll explain this, It’s not what it looks like.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The fuck Craig! What the hell happened? WhyamIhere?” Tweek was breathing heavily, he was on verge of a panic attack, he could manage to say a single word. Craig tried to get closer to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tweek, you were knock out yesterday, you drank too much, Butters asked me to bring you home, and take care of you. He took care of Kenny ‘cuz he was high on heroin.” He stopped at the last word, he shouldn’t have said that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Tweek spitted out his only word.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Calm down, he’s fine….” he thought for a second, “It’s nothing to be worried of,” yet. he thought. “Neither Butters nor I knew where you live, so we took you to our respective houses. I took you here and helped you to get into comfortable clothes. Don’t you remember?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No…” He sounded way calmer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I was sat by your side and I fell asleep, and that’s all. Nothing happened here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tweek nodded in acknowledgment, he wasn’t sure whether to believe or not in Craig’s story. He chose not to doubt him since he still remember the woman Craig seemed to be having a good time yesterday.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m starving, wanna have breakfast.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig smiled at the question, he was happy to see his friend back in his coolness, “Sure, dude.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the day went slower than it usually went. Craig was glad he could spend a whole day with Tweek. Deep inside him, he knew it was something else than just an odd feeling for Tweek. Tweek also seemed to be enjoying the time with him, he called Butters to let him know he was fine. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The afternoon turned awkward when Tweek asked for Michelle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So… What’s between you and that cute girl?” He tried to be cool.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh?” Craig was caught with his pants down, he didn’t want to have the conversation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You heard me, I saw you yesterday with that cute blonde girl,” he held his breath, “What’s the deal with her?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig didn’t know what to say, a part of him wanted to tell him he fucked with her in a random club and he did it again yesterday, the other part wanted to tell Tweek he didn’t why he was doing it - tell him he was confused by the feeling towards Tweek. Instead, he chose the dumb way, “Why? Wanna meet her? She could fit with you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tweek looked at him hurt, “Craig… You know I’m gay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Fuck’  thought Craig, “Sorry, I was teasing you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Would you like to, like, go out to, you know, somewhere?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” the mood of Tweek changed with the awkward behavior of Craig.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, hang out someday?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Like a d…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tweek was cut by a call, Craig checked his phone to see Kenny’s number. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“‘Sup dude!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Need you to pick me up, better if you come with your federal shits.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig looked at Tweek and stood up to get farther from him, “What the fuck? What happened?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It began, dude, and we’re on the</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> loser’s side…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig hung up the phone and rushed into his bedroom, looking for his badge and his jacket.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry Tweek, I’ve gotta go. About the other thing… Friday night?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Craig rushed to his car and for just a moment, he let his emotions get to him.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As usual, I hope y'all enjoyed it.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Prince of Thieves I</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Denver is facing a surge in criminal activity as well as its violence rate. In just the last week there have been two key events in the city. The first one was the assault on the security truck on Tuesday. The second one is even more frightened, the assassination of the ‘young’ political leader, Andres Cortez. According to the first police reports, both events seem to be related to a new criminal organization in Denver. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Despite the announcement by the FBI and police offices to create a group of investigators, things do not seem to be working so far. Sources within the police department say the lack of progress is due to differences between the chief in charge, FBI agent Craig Tucker and the recently promoted Lieutenant Broflovski. In fact, internal fights have been confirmed between the heads in charge of the team after mutual accusations of having infiltrators in both organizations.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Despite all the bad news, there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel, since a certain number of suspects has already been determined, who will be called to testify in the following weeks. One of the many hypotheses that the police are handling at this time is the reappearance of an old methamphetamine trafficking network - which was dismantled years ago in Park County.  Likewise, the existence of documents that would link the political leader with this criminal gang, as well as with the District Attorney Costwall, hasn't been officially notified.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The question that is in the mind of everybody inside the police is about the possible link with the so-called King of tricks. An extra-official name for the new criminal in the town. Inside the FBI, there are also suspicions about the real intention of the police to maintain confidentiality.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>In an interview with the Lieutenant - which we’re not allowed to publish - the official opinion inside the department is to show unity to the people and the will to finish the investigation with the apprehension of the criminals behind this critical situation.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>-Extract of the report for Denver Today from Jimmy Valmer-</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kyle was waiting outside Stan’s for almost ten minutes - he even saw Wendy got out of the house. Stan’s lack of punctuality wasn’t a new issue - it was an old habit indeed. The real problem was the lack of communication from Stan, he usually made up any kind of excuse to jump a lecture from Kyle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fifth call in a row was finally answered by Stan, who seemed to be off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dude, what the fuck? I’ve been waiting for fifteen minutes, are you gonna get out or what?” Kyle tried to sound as pissed as he could. He wanted his friend to show any sense of responsibility after a failed attempt to work on the weekend. Kyle wouldn’t have doubted his friend, but the ways he was avoiding him seemed more than just mere casualty.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, I’ve lost the track of time, I’ll be there in five” Stan sounded too off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle didn’t bother to answer his friend’s statement, now he was pissed off. Stan’s attitude was grinding his gears. ‘The fuck is wrong with him?’ he thought, knowing damn well that the core of the problem went to work about then ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stan got in the car in silence, he was far from the image a week ago. He managed to grow an unclean beard and was wearing the oldest leather jacket he found.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stan, what the actual hell is wrong with you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kyle…” his voice was trembling, “I think wendy is cheating on me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle stopped the car violently - he was sure Stan would drop something about his wife, but he wasn’t prepared to hear that. He turned his head to see his friend, it was the typical heartbroken Stan. Kyle was fighting to get the right words for the moment - he was shocked by the declaration. “How… I mean, you know…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not sure, but she’s been acting weird lately. She always has an excuse to be out on Sundays, she even went to work in his free week! I’m losing her, dude.” Stan’s face was red and his eyes allowed him to drop some thick tears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle took out his seatbelt and hugged his friend, it was the only action he could think to keep his friend on this side of the road. “Stan, I don’t know how you feel, but as long as you don’t have proves, you can’t let this drain your life. You need to be strong, alright pal?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stsn nodded and turned his gaze outside the car. Kyle knew his friend wasn’t ready to talk about the topic - it was a surprise he actually told him what his problem was. They remained in silence for a couple of minutes before Stan broke the silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you read the newspaper? Jimmy come out with a new report,” he sighed. “We might get in problems for that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What you mean, dude?” Kyle asked with curiosity, he was following his instincts. “We could use the media to put pressure over the people working for the mob, you know? This could be a real chance.” He sounded excited, he was relying on his plan to avoid working with Craig or the FBI.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if something happens with Jimmy? Who’s gonna pay for it?” Stan’s voice was still off and dull. “I think you’re not taking this rationally.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dude … Shut the fuck up! You agreed with this so you better be quiet.” Kyle shouted annoyed, his friend was hard to manage when he was at that stage, he knew they would face some scold from his captain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rest of the trip was quiet, not even the cemeteries were as quiet as Kyle’s car. Both friends were pissed off with each other, Stan felt like the redhead hasn’t been too sympathetic towards his situation. Kyle thought Stan was looking for attention. Both felt bad for thinking so low about each other, but they weren’t even close to conceding a damn inch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle’s police radio turned on, “Attention units, there’s a notification of a homicide in the northside of the city. Residential area.” Then his phone rang, it was Craig, “Broflovski, bring your ass and your friend’s too to the crime scene.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Craig’s calls were short and brief. He seemed to never waste a second in even listening to his interlocutor, it was annoying. Kyle was even angrier than before, Craig was always a good reason to be angry. He breathed heavily before talking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stan, Craig needs us in the crime scene, I believe he wanted us to be there.” Kyle was figuring out what kind of relationship this murder’s got with the main objective.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s not my boss.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’ll leave you in the station then, you can explain that to the captain.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stan held his breath for a moment, he was getting his thought together and finding out the best decision and the best answer, “Take this avenue, it’ll take us faster to the north.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle laughed inside him, he always knew the soft spots of his friend. The rest of the trip was quiet, the car radio was playing some generic elevator music - Kyle was trying to avoid another awkward conversation so he turned it on. It seemed to be working because Stan was quiet for the rest of the trip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cherry Creek was one of the most famous places in Colorado, rich people and some famous people live there. The usual morning was calm and quiet, some women used to run over the place and some kids were playing in the park. That morning, however, there was nothing but worried faces and police officers around the streets. When Kyle stopped the car, he looked for Craig - the reason why they were there. Stan got out of the car and walked through the cops and forensic staff. He checked at the other side of the sidewalk and he found Craig squatting, holding his phone in front of his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Craig was recording every piece of evidence he found there. He looked sick and tired, the news Kenny gave him last night meant nothing but problems for them. He could feel the razor’s edge on his neck. The death of Andres Cortez meant a prosecution inside the city attorney’s office and of course the beginning of a gang war. Cartman was smart enough to make sure he was linked to the meth gangs outside the side. Once the Carlino’s were aware of the invasion of the news gangs, it would be easy to seize the power.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Craig paused the record to mutter, “Motherfucker.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who?” the well-known voice of Kyle shattered his thoughts and brought him back to the crime scene. Kyle had just arrived there - Stan decided to wait for him. Both friends were exchanging looks while Craig stood up without saying a single word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was counting to see you so soon, I thought you will be here by midday.” Craig looked at them with superiority, he didn’t enjoy working with them. “However, It’s good to have you here. As you can appreciate, there’s been a murder and it’s annoyingly odd, don’t ya think?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cut the crap, asshole! Why are we here? It’s not our case,” Stan spitted out, he was planning to lay on his desk for the rest of the day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just like Stan, I wonder why are we here. There’s no link between that body and our thieves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wrong, there’s an odd coincide here you’re not seeing. They want us to acknowledge who they are.” Craig smirked at them with excitement, it was a bit scary to see him show any emotion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, you’re telling me that ‘THEY’ want us to know? Why, professor?” Kyle mocked on him, not willing to believe Craig, “Why they are doing this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because they know there’s an asshole telling the press a bunch of delicate information. That’s why!” Shouted Craig emotionless. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle was with his mouth open, he couldn’t believe what Craig just said. The mere idea of him being foolish by a bunch of criminals was absurd - at least that’s what he thought. From Kyle’s perspective, that was ridiculous. “Bullshit, you just don’t know a damn thing so you’re lying.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? Well, at least your mouth talking shit in front of a journalist is true, ain’t it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stan saw Kyle speechless, both knew it was a problem, and they didn’t need the FBI to join the line to pick on them. So, he was eager to change the topic, “I think I got what you’re trying to imply, but I’m still wondering why are we here?” He tried to hide his annoyance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Finally a smart question, once we’ve got the lab results from the bullet we’ll make a connection with our case.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>An awkward filled gap between the friends and Craig. Kyle was still numb by Craig’s comment,  he was so confident with his decision back then. The idea now seemed to be so dumb and lacked a real reason to do it. Stan was glancing at his friend and then stared at Craig, he was speechless as well as Kyle - he was also mortified by his marriage problem. Craig was confident with his job. Kenny’s plan was on his way to stop Cartman before it would be too late, he was eager to have a nice and boring life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Once the connection is settled, we’ll be able to make our next movement.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, that’s it? You call us to let us know how good you are? ‘Cuz I ain’t seeing why we have to be here.” Stan finally talked, he was annoyed and was glaring at Craig.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I brought you here to let you know that as long as this shit ain’t official, you’ve gotta report every single thought you have before talking to anyone, is it clear?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the end of the afternoon, Craig called again to Lyle and Stan to have a brief meeting. The recent events had changed Craig’s plan. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before the talk with the two friends, Craig made a quick call to Kenny, the reason was simple, the plan was on its way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The forensics have already reported the anomaly, it just matters of time.” Craig said with a dull and plain voice, “I think everything is in the right place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good, I’ll talk with the fatass and will send y his location. Remember, you must do it before they had a chance to go further with the investigation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re here, I’ll call you later.” Craig put his phone back in his pocket before facing them. His face was inexpressive as usual, but deep inside he was worried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it now, Tucker?” Stan broke the tense calm, “I hope this is something serious, wait we’ve been wasting our time the whole day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cut the crap asshole. I’ve got some news, we got our first suspect.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle and Stan looked at each other in disbelief. It was impossible to have a suspect with the few clues they had by the time. Kyle turned his gaze to Craig who looked like a stone figure. Something there wasn’t right, it smelled bad already, and what Craig said only increase the suspicion. “How?” asked in the most impassive way he could. “I thought it was another perfect job.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You see, some people testified they saw a weird man yesterday. A blond with an ‘ugly’ blue suit.” He waited for a second to see the reaction of his listeners. “Apparently this man was close to the crime scene after and before it happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, great. But that’s…” Kyle said before Craig interrupted him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And,” he glared at Kyle, “According to the lab, the bullet is the same as the bullet from the shooting last week, and we have a finger paint in this one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They remained in silence for almost a minute. Kyle tried to connect the clues and tried to find a mistake or something, but it was damn perfect. Annoyingly perfect. Stan was surfing through his thoughts, he wasn’t so reluctant as Kyle was, but he felt an awkward feeling for all of this. The whole thing seemed to fit in Craig’s hypothesis like a glove.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t this strange?” said Kyle in an ironic way, “You’ve been having problems to make a simple link with your suspect, but suddenly you have all the answers in a fairytale story. Don’t you think is … Strange?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see what you’re trying to imply,” he got closer to Kyle, the difference of height helped him to intimidate the red-haired, “but the truth is you can’t stand that someone had actually better ideas than you. You have access to all the information from the two cases, but you didn’t do a damn thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stan held Kyle’s arm to avoid further confrontation, it was the last thing they need right now.”C’mon, dude. We better check those files and report to the captain.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I fucking hate you, Tucker.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two friends walked away to check the mention files. If Craig was right they need to hurry to report it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Craig stood there for a while, contemplating the place of his first triumph. The plan was going great and the best part was that dumb Broflovski and his sidekick had bought his story, he only had to wait for the next clue to be revealed, the fingerpaint of poor Sam.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite he avoided any kind of interaction with Sam, he had sort of a soft spot for the blond. He was caught in the middle of an ‘operation’. Cartman gave him two options, help or hell. He was just another victim on the chessboard. Perhaps it was Sam's strange loyalty to Cartman that ended up sealing his fate. Even though she may have been motivated by fear, he and she had made up her mind. The plan called for the ends to be tied up and all connections to Cartman and his criminal life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Part of Craig felt guilty since he did his best to make the first 'sacrifice' to be Sam and not Clyde - which was on Kenny's blacklist because of his relationship with Cartman. That would at least buy time to change Clyde's decision. It was unfair for some of them, but there was no time for regrets.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With the tests in the lab, it was only a matter of time before he had clearance to begin the hunt for Sam. If he played his cards right, he could avoid unnecessary bloodshed. The last thing they wanted was more bodies covered in white sheets in the morgue. The sooner it finished, the better for Craig.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He walked away from the place, the quiet sound of the trees next to the road was calming. It was what Craig needed to clear his mind. His car was just a few meters away from his position, but the walk felt incredibly long. He liked the sensation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once inside the car, an opaque voice took him out of his thoughts. “Don’t say hi? I thought we were friends.” Craig turned his face to the backseat. His left hand sought for his gun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goddammit, McCormick. I was about to fucking shoot you. The hell are you doing here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just stop to said hi to my friend, is that a sin?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, it’s a fucking sin.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re boring, dude.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The hell you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Talk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Craig had his eyes closed, his hand holding his face by his temples. He wasn't sure how to react correctly to what Kenny had just told him. It wasn't really something that wasn't planned, but apparently, they weren't the only ones who wanted to speed up his plans. From that point, he knew shit would only get heavy. “So, you’re telling that Cartman is going to seize the control this fucking week?” He finally looked at the blond.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, and no. He’s up to something for this week, but it’ll depend on the situation. If that thing the police is doing get ready, he’ll be doing all in one.” Kenny said. It’d be forgivable for those who listened to him and thought he just ran a marathon. Kenny has a special way to emphasize important shit with a creepy tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Want a drink?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No day was a bad day to get drunk with Kenny. Even if he’d regret it the next morning, he wouldn’t mind having a drink a dumb chat with the blond. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Remember the bar of the last week?” Kenny asked way too casually, Craig already knew his intentions. “Wanna go there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The bright lights were an annoying contrast to the darkness of the bar. Despite being pretty quiet, it was Monday anyway, noise was also an ingredient in an annoying recipe for a bar that screamed it was 'boyish'.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenny had looked for an excuse to disappear again, something that was beginning to look rather suspicious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re back,” said a feminine voice behind Craig, “what brought you here this time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi,” Craig didn’t bother to turn his gaze, “my friend drag me here again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t like it?” She sat next to Craig, “Or is it something else?” She gently placed his hand on Craig’s shoulder and whisper to his ear, “you’re not being a gentleman like before.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look, I…” he held his breath and kept the words in his mouth, maybe it wouldn’t matter what he did before his date, right? “I’m sorry, I didn’t have a good day that’s all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was about midnight when Kenny came back from his mysterious ‘affair’. By the moment, Craig was laying on the bar with a wide smile. His last encounter with Michelle was ‘satisfactory’ for the dark-haired. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, time to go.” Kenny looked at him with a funny expression on his face. “You can keep smiling in the car.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know what were you doing, but I don’t fucking care ‘cuz I just had a incredible session of s-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Super! Fine, well.” Kenny blabbed to keep the secrets of his friend inside his mouth. “We’ll talk about it later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Later became seven in the morning with an awkward crying Craig. It was a surprise to see Craig crying over something, even more, if it was over someone. Kenny had his own sentimental problems, but Craig's aspect made him look at his friend and try to find a solution.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Craig, you’re not dating Tweek. You didn’t even have a proper date. I don’t see the problem.” Kenny tried to calm the crying mess. “Once you two are dating you can’t do this, but right now isn’t like something serious.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But, men, “</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dude, I fuck a dude from time to time, even when I had my own affair with Butters. Shit, even Tweek had his previous ‘adventures’ before Sunday, you know? Don’t drown yourself in a glass of water.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Craig didn’t say anything. Maybe the last part made him feel comfortable, instead, he just said, “I’ll call you later.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So... A very late update. Anyways, hope you're enjoying reading as much as I'm writing.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>